Peel police share new details after woman’s body found in impound lot 13 hours after deadly Brampton collision

Police say the car had ‘severe’ damage and is so ‘deformed’ that the victim's body was not visible right away. Steve Ryan has the update with Peel police.

Police are sharing new details after a 20-year-old woman’s body was found in an impound lot more than 12 hours after a weekend collision in Brampton, Ont.

On Thursday, Const. Tyler Bell, of Peel Regional Police, told reporters that he visited the towing yard where the woman’s body was located as he “couldn’t wrap my head around the concept” of what had occurred.

“One of the things that I needed to do to be able to stand here in good faith and speak to you was put eyes on the vehicle myself. I looked at the vehicle. The condition of that vehicle was so deformed, so that unfortunately, she was not easily visible at the scene,” he said.

“The state of her remains, combined with the deformation of the internal passenger compartment of the vehicle, when I looked at it, it’s disturbing.”

The collision happened on Nov. 1, at around 4:20 a.m., at Chinguacousy Road and Queen Street.

Bell said a blue Audi T-boned a black Honda Civic at the intersection, resulting in a subsequent crash involving a pole that caused both vehicles to leave the roadway.

Three people in the Audi were taken to the hospital with minor injuries, while the driver of the Honda, who has been identified by police as a 31-year-old man from Brampton, was located deceased at the scene and was extricated by Brampton Fire and Emergency Services, he said.

The Honda, Bell said, was being used as a rideshare vehicle and the 20-year-old woman had booked a fare following a social event.

In a statement, ride-hailing service Lyft said it is “deeply saddened by this tragic loss.”

“Our hearts are with the families and loved ones of the driver and rider, and we have reached out to offer our support. We stand ready to assist law enforcement with any investigation,” a company spokesperson wrote in an email to CP24.

Initially, investigators believed that only one person had died in the crash.

“There was no clear indication that there was anybody else involved in the collision or passengers in that Honda Civic,” Bell said, adding emergency responders didn’t see any personal items that would indicate that someone else was in that car.

“At this point, the collision scene had been cleared, and the two vehicles had been seized by police for later processing at the impound lot.”

On Tuesday, however, Peel Regional Police announced a second fatality.

‘Troubling’ sequence of events

Bell said a “troubling” sequence of events followed after police learned hours later that a 20-year-old woman from Brampton was missing and that a tracking app on her cell indicated she’d been at the crash scene.

“Upon learning the information of the missing person, officers checked both the scene for evidence of a second individual or passenger and attended the impound lot where they made the gruesome discovery. And upon close analysis of the passenger compartment, the rear passenger compartment of that vehicle, the remains of the 20-year-old female were found,” he said.

This investigation, Bell noted, is now before the Major Collision Bureau, “with several findings still yet to be to be determined.” He previously told CP24 that police will be conducting a “joint debrief” with their partners to “fully review the incident.”

Allison Jones, Peel Region’s manager of Strategic Communication, said paramedics and the fire department would “continue to work through Peel Police on this active investigation.”

• READ MORE: Body of woman who died in Brampton crash was not found until family reported her missing, police say

After locating the woman’s body, he said police required some time to notify her next-of-kin and have since been in close communication with her family.

“We’re in that difficult position of trying to balance putting as much information out as we possibly can with respecting the wishes of the family,” he said, adding that his heart and prayers are with them.

Bell said the victim had done everything right to get home safe that night.

Underage driver facing charges

The driver of the Audi, a 17-year-old boy, who cannot be identified under the provisions of the Youth Criminal Justice Act, was arrested and charged with dangerous driving causing death and failure/refusal to comply with demand.

Bell added that he was non-compliant with a “breath demand on the side of the road at the scene.”

This investigation is ongoing and anyone with information or dashcam footage is asked to contact police or Crime Stoppers anonymously.