Male body exhumed from Peoples Cemetery in Charlottetown for identification

Members of the RCMP Major Crime Section, assisted by the PEI Coroners Office, today exhumed the body of an unidentified person, listed as John Doe, at the Peoples Cemetery in Charlottetown. The body of the deceased was discovered by a local fisherman in the Malpeque Bay exactly 13 years ago, June 7, 1997. The investigation at the time failed to identify the individual, with cause of death determined as a "possible drowning". Recent changes to provincial legislation, Section 11.(1) of the Coroner Act, has allowed for the exhumation to take place and no match has been found with any missing person cases since the body was recovered.

Sergeant Denis Morin, Media Relations Officer with "L" Division RCMP noted, "With the advancement of science and forensic work, the case is being reinvestigated commencing with a new autopsy to explore if any other evidence can be found to help with this investigation. Later, a facial approximation of the victim will be conducted by a forensic art specialist of the RCMP and any further details provided through these activities will be added to the investigation. We have more advanced resources now than when the deceased was found and we are hopeful that these advancements, along with the assistance of the general public, will help us to determine the name of the deceased and circumstances of the death."

Description of the victim:
Gender: male
Height: 181 cm ( 5’11")
Found wearing :
– black leather belt with large chain shaped "Jack Daniels" belt buckle, belt for size 36 inch waist
– blue jeans "Broadway"
– black leather zipper style booths size 10, white sport socks
– initials "G.L." written by marker on tag on underwear

Sgt. Morin added, "The origin of the victim remains unknown and since he had been in the water for a number of weeks it is possible that he may have drifted with the tides. The deceased was wearing jeans with a bilingual logo and while he may be from Prince Edward Island, it is entirely possible that he may have originated from Quebec, Gaspe, northern New Brunswick or the Magdalen Islands."