The RCMP are working to identify the human remains found outside Cochrane on Oct. 13.
A recent medical examiner’s report said the deceased is believed to be a caucasian male between the ages of 18-30 years. Cause of death remains unknown, but it is believed that the partial remains are less than a year old. The report has indicated that the deceased had at one time suffered a broken nose that had healed, which indicates that the remains found included at least part of a head.
“The RCMP are looking into a number of missing persons cases from the area,” said Doris Stapleton, Edmonton RCMP spokesperson.
She added that at this point, RCMP have not ruled out the possibility the remains are those of Ryan Lane, a 24-year-old Cochrane man who mysteriously vanished Feb. 7 in Calgary. Rural areas near Beiseker were searched in late-spring, turning up nothing.
The investigation is being treated by the RCMP as suspicious, until proven otherwise.
The Cochrane RCMP responded to a call at a rural property along Township Road 252 on Oct. 13. Major Crimes Unit and the Calgary Forensic Identification Section investigated the remains prior to sending them off to the Alberta Medical Examiner, where they were confirmed as human remains a week later.
Stapleton said that in order to protect the integrity of the investigation, RCMP are unable to comment on the state of decomposition or the particulars of the found human remains.
Anyone with information should contact the Cochrane RCMP at 403-851-8000 or can anonymously call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
