A police spokesman said in an email Thursday that officers were called to a construction site on Deschamps Avenue near Desrosiers Street, not far from Vanier Parkway, at about 2:50 a.m. Wednesday. “Digging at the site has revealed what are believed to be human remains,” police said. Police did not elaborate on what exactly was found, but two low-rise apartment buildings at 143 and 147 Deschamps were searched. They said forensic identification work was underway early Thursday afternoon. The northeast corner of Avenue Deschamps and Rue Desrosiers. (Stéphane Leclerc/Radio-Canada) In an emailed statement, the building’s owners and AS Management Inc., the property management company, would not provide further information to the CBC “as the investigation is ongoing.” Krista Barratt, whose yard borders the construction site, said she was told her yard is part of the scene and she can’t go into it. “[There were] lots of police and people watching, and then the coroner. They had body bags and blocked off my yard,” he said.
Neighborhood on the edge
According to Barratt and other neighbors, the buildings had been vacant for several years. Construction at the site was ongoing and crews had recently begun digging on the property until Wednesday’s discovery, “[It’s] scary,” Barratt said. “We don’t know what’s there or who they are, and what happened, so it’s kind of scary.” Charlotte Taylor, a nearby neighbor and member of a local neighborhood group, said local residents were “very concerned”. “We realize it’s going to be a while before anything is discovered, but the more I think about it, the more anxious I get about it,” he said.
