Cause of death revealed for body found at Brockville, Ont. waste facility in July

Police and forensic investigators at the Waste Management site in Brockville, Ont. July 22, 2022. (Nate Vandermeer/CTV News Ottawa)

A woman's remains found at a Brockville waste disposal site was the result of sleeping in a trash compactor, according to Brockville police.

Employees at the Waste Management facility on California Avenue notified police that a body had been found on July 22, shortly after 10 a.m., in a load of waste that had been recently delivered.

"A post mortem was conducted at the Ottawa Hospital, from that and from the evidence we found at the scene, we were able to determine that the tragic death is a result of sleeping in the dumpster," Brockville police Staff Sgt. Tom Fournier told CTV News.

"We are not able to determine exactly where it happened, but when the compactors are picked up and dumped into the truck, they are taken to the facility," Fournier said.

Fournier noted the woman was from the Belleville area, and thanked Quinte West OPP and Belleville police for their help with the investigation.

Fournier said the nearly four-month long investigation was not unusual for the circumstances surrounding the case, and no foul play was determined early on.

"We have to get toxicology and submissions back from the centre of forensic sciences, we have to wait for the post mortem report," he said. "Also, we have to weigh any evidence that other services and partners are sending to us as well to come up with a determination.

"It's tragic to all involved. It’s tragic to the staff (at Waste Management), it's tragic for the community, even for the officers who have to investigate, it's not a pleasant investigation."

He also noted that people are using dumpsters more commonly to seek shelter, if living on the streets.

"It's occurrences we find more and more in the city of Brockville and all across Ontario," he said. "It’s not unusual to have people sleeping in them. They go in there to stay warm; they do that to stay out of the elements and just to get away from being on the street."

The woman's name is not being released as per the family's request.