OPP name victim in Perth homicide investigation

CTV Ottawa: New details in campground homicide CTV's Megan Shaw reports on the new details of the weekend murder at a Perth campground.

Lanark County OPP is now calling a suspicious death at the Last Duel Park Campground a homicide.

Police say 45-year-old James Laverdure of Lanark County is dead after an incident early Sunday morning at the campground in Perth.

“The officers patrolling the town, we received a call at around 4:12a.m. today, that there was some incident here, they attended, and immediately commenced an investigation into a suspicious death,” said Provincial Const. David Bird.

Witnesses said they woke up to a woman screaming around 4a.m.

"She said my boyfriend is stabbed, and she come running across the open lot there," said Keith & Carol Mordy, who are camping at Last Duel Park.

Sunday afternoon police focused their investigation on one tent inside an area sectioned off by police tape.

Witnesses said the victim was staying in the tent with woman who called for help.

They were so friendly, very nice people, they said that they had an apartment in Smiths Falls, but they were going to stay here for the month," said Suzanne Taillon, another camper.

Steve Guerin, who walks his dog through the campsite daily, said he was shocked to hear the news.

“There were police cruisers, I’d say there had to be anywhere from 15 to 20 vehicles and they had a big forensics tent set up, and a forensics vehicle,” Guerin said.

Sunday morning OPP officers were checking vehicles coming in and out of the campground as part of their investigation.

An autopsy was conducted Monday afternoon.

The investigation is ongoing.