A police investigation into the death of Concordia University student Jun Lin led investigators to a Montreal park where an object believed to be human remains was found on Sunday, authorities said.
The suspicious object was discovered following a tip relayed to Montreal police in connection with Lin’s death. However, police are giving few details about how they received the tip or who is behind it.
“(Police) have made no secret about the fact that finding the remains of Jun Lin was a very big priority for them,” CTV’s Montreal Bureau Chief Genevieve Beauchemin told CTV News Channel on Monday.
“They don’t want to make any mistake here because it’s such an important aspect. Out of respect for the family and out of respect for the criminal trial that is going to be starting in March, they want to be very careful about what they divulge here.”
Police said the object was found in Angrignon Park in the city’s south end. The park is about a 15 minute drive from the alleged crime scene.
Beauchemin said earlier Monday that there would have been many families in the park on a Sunday afternoon.
“When we talked to people who were in the park today they were just shocked about the fact that there could have been a grisly discovery there,” Beauchemin said.
The object has been sent to a lab for DNA testing, and police say the results could come back within about a week.
“We have to determine if it’s human, then we’ll be able to determine, if it’s human, who these parts belong to,” said Montreal police Const. Daniel Lacoursiere. “And it’s possible that they belong to Mr. Lin.”
Lin, a 33-year-old computer engineering student and Chinese national, was gruesomely murdered and dismembered in late May.
Lin’s hands and feet were mailed to offices of the federal Conservative and Liberal parties and to Vancouver schools. His torso was found in a suitcase outside a Montreal apartment and some body parts, including his head, are still missing.
Beauchemin said Montreal police have made it a priority to locate Lin’s head and allow his family to put him to rest.
According to Lin’s former employer, Kankan Huang, it’s customary in the Chinese culture to bury the whole body together.
Luka Rocco Magnotta, a 29-year-old porn actor and model, faces charges in connection to Lin’s murder.
Magnotta appeared in Montreal court late last month where he pleaded not guilty to the multiple charges against him.
With files from CTV’s Montreal Bureau Chief Genevieve Beauchemin
