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CTV News
5 days ago
- CTV News
Do you recognize these tattoos? Police working to ID body in Surrey, B.C.
An image of a tattoo on the unidentified man's left calf. (Handout) Police in Surrey, B.C., have released several photos of a man who died in hospital earlier this year, with the hope that someone will be able to identify him. Investigators say the man's death is not considered suspicious. He was found shortly before 9 p.m. on April 12, near the intersection of 152 Street and 101 Avenue, in the city's Guildford neighbourhood. The unidentified man was taken to hospital, where he died a few days later, according to a statement from the Surrey Police Service. Authorities described the man as likely in his 40s, with brown hair, brown eyes and a beard. Photos showing the man's tattoos were released Friday 'with the hope that someone who recognizes them will come forward and contact police,' the Surrey Police Service said. Surrey police work to identify man's body (Handout) An image of a tattoo on the unidentified man's left chest. (Handout) The agency has been working with the B.C. Coroners Service, forensic investigators and missing persons investigators but has so far been unsuccessful in identifying the man, according to the statement. An image of a tattoo on the unidentified man's torso An image of a tattoo on the unidentified man's torso. (Handout) Anyone who recognizes the tattoos or has information related to the man's identity is asked to call the Surrey Police Service at 604-599-0502 or contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS or
CTV News
24-06-2025
- Health
- CTV News
B.C. toxic drug deaths increase after months-long downward trend: coroner
This photo from te website for "Sudden Silence: Hidden Voices" shows members of Moms Stop the Harm on a Vancouver beach raising awareness about the toxic drug crisis. The number of deaths from unregulated toxic drugs in British Columbia spiked in April, according to data from the province's Coroners Service. Information released Tuesday shows 165 people died that month – marking the first time since October of last year the number of monthly deaths exceeded 155. The increase translates to 5.5 deaths a day, on average – compared to 4.5 per day in March. 'Consistent with reporting throughout the public-health emergency, fentanyl and its analogues continue to be the most common substance detected in expedited toxicological testing,' a summary from the BC Coroners Service said. 'More than three-quarters of decedents who underwent expedited testing in 2025 were found to have fentanyl in their systems.' Men continue to account for more than three quarters of fatalities and the majority of deaths – 78 per cent – continue to occur indoors. Smoking persists as the most common mode of consumption for 2025, accounting for 68 per cent of drug deaths. Northern Health and Interior Health have the highest death rates in the province, while cities seeing the highest number of deaths so far this are Vancouver, Surrey and Greater Victoria. The reason for the months-long downward trend in deaths prior to April was unclear, according to experts that spoke to CTV News earlier this year. Notably, the decline was not unique to B.C. and a similar trend was observed in Alberta, Ontario, and the United States. Frontline workers, advocates and policy analysts told CTV News they were trying to better understand what was happening locally, considering a range or combination of possible factors including: a change in the drug supply, the possibility that many illicit drug users have already died, the potential that casual drug use has declined due to the volatility of the supply, and increased availability of Naloxone and access to supervised consumption sites. With files from CTV News Vancouver's Penny Daflos
CTV News
23-06-2025
- CTV News
‘Tragic incident' at Metro Vancouver pool not criminal in nature, RCMP say
A 'tragic incident' forced the closure of a public swimming pool in Port Coquitlam, B.C., Sunday morning, according to officials. The City of Port Coquitlam posted a brief statement to social media around 7:30 a.m., saying Centennial Pool is closed 'until further notice' and that a police investigation was underway. 'While we are unable to share details at this time, we are supporting the RCMP as they carry out their investigation. Thank you for your understanding. Our thoughts are with those affected,' the statement from the city said. CTV News asked the RCMP for more information. A spokesperson said criminality has been ruled out and the investigation has been turned over to the BC Coroners Service.
Global News
18-06-2025
- Global News
Nicole Bell's remains found in Salmon Arm, almost 8 years after going missing
The remains of a woman who went missing in September 2017 have been found in rural Salmon Arm, B.C. Nicole Crystal Bell was 31 years old when she was reported missing from Sicamous. On May 5, 2025, Salmon Arm RCMP received a report that human remains had been found. The BC Coroners Service later identified Bell. When an investigation was launched into Bell's disappearance in 2017, investigators with the Southeast major crime unit quickly learned that her disappearance was the result of foul play. She was one of five women who went missing in the North Okanagan in 2016 and 2017. 1:58 Family of missing women in north Okanagan and Shuswap rally so that none are forgotten In November 2017, human remains discovered on a farm on Salmon River Road in the Salmon Arm area were identified as missing 18-year-old Traci Genereaux. Story continues below advertisement Curtis Wayne Sagmoen lived on the property, which his parents owned. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'Although it has been established that the disappearance of all five women were not associated to a single serial actor, investigators believe that the primary suspect responsible for Bell's death is the same as that of Traci Genereaux,' Supt. Sanjaya Wijayakoon, the operations officer for the BC RCMP major crimes program, said in a statement on Wednesday. Sagmoen generated a lot of public attention after the remains of Genereaux were found on his family farm in 2017. No one has been charged in connection with her death. The Shuswap-area man was convicted of assault causing bodily harm and using a firearm during an offence, in cases where the victims were sex trade workers. The concerns around him were amplified early in 2022 when RCMP issued a press release saying Sagmoen, who lived in the Salmon River Road area, was bound by a court-imposed probation order, a condition of which specifies that he 'must not have any contact in any way with any sex trade workers.' Sagmoen died earlier this year. In a press release on Wednesday, the Southeast District major crime unit said investigators do not believe there is an ongoing threat to public safety at this time, as the primary suspect in Bell's death is now deceased. Story continues below advertisement However, additional parties to the offence have not yet been ruled out, and as such, the major crime unit continues to investigate Bell's and Genereaux's deaths, and is requesting that anyone with information about their disappearances or murders contact the Southeast District MCU information line at 1-877-987-8477.
National Observer
07-05-2025
- National Observer
BC coroner reopens probe of Indigenous woman's death
British Columbia's chief coroner is reopening the investigation into the death of an Indigenous woman the day after her family went public with concerns about how her case was handled. Dr. Jatinder Baidwan said in a statement Tuesday that he's directing a coroner's inquest to publicly review the circumstances that led to the death of Tatyanna Harrison, whose body was found on a dry-docked yacht in Richmond, BC, in 2022. Baidwan said he has an obligation as chief coroner to ensure public confidence in the BC Coroners Service and its processes. On Monday, Harrison's mother, Natasha, appeared alongside family members of Chelsea Poorman and 13-year-old Noelle O'Soup, who also died in 2022, and called for an inquest into all three deaths. An advocacy group working with the families said Monday that a review by an independent forensic pathologist found Harrison's cause of death should have been ruled as "undetermined" rather than the official finding of sepsis after an autopsy by the coroner. Justice for Girls lawyer Sue Brown said in an interview Tuesday that news of the inquest has been a long time coming for Harrison's family. "I know that they're feeling very relieved at the moment, but given the work that it's taken to get here, that relief is qualified by the failures that have happened over the past three years and the work that we have ahead of us to learn more about what happened to Tatyanna," she said. Harrison was a 20-year-old Cree, Métis and Brazilian woman who was reported missing on May 3, 2022. Her remains were found in Richmond the day before she was reported missing but it took three months for her mother to be informed. Brown has said that no rape kit had been done during her autopsy, despite the fact that Harrison was found partially naked on the yacht with no explanation of how she got there, who she was with or why she was there. Investigators initially said her death was likely due to an overdose, before a coroner later concluded she died of sepsis. Baidwan said information about the date and location of the inquest would be provided in coming weeks. "An inquest will provide an opportunity for a broad, open and transparent review of the circumstances related to Tatyanna's death, and my hope is that the jury will be able to make meaningful recommendations that will prevent similar deaths from occurring in the future," he said in the statement. Brown said Tuesday that it's important for there to be a resolution to the conflicting information about Harrison's cause of death and said the family still has many questions about the circumstances leading up to her death. "A win will be answers. And transparent answers," she said. Baidwan said investigations into the deaths of Poorman and O'Soup remain open and decisions about whether to hold inquests in those cases will be made in future. Poorman's body was discovered behind an abandoned home in Vancouver and the body of O'Soup was found in the apartment of a sex offender after he died in the Downtown Eastside. Brown said both of those cases still have many unanswered questions and she is hopeful more inquests will be called. "In both of those cases, we really hope that they'll do the right thing and call an inquest into them," she said.
