Police not confirming report of arrest in Sarnia homicide case

Sarnia police are not confirming a media report of an arrest in a city homicide investigation.

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CTV London reported Friday Sarnia officers made an arrest in connection with a homicide investigation confirmed the day before.

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Sarnia police have been providing social media updates and media releases, but had not announced any arrests at 2 pm Friday.

Sarnia police were asked Friday to confirm if an arrest has been made.

“We will have all the details sent out in an updated media release as soon as we can,” a Sarnia police spokesperson said by email.

Sarnia homicide investigators were combing a south-end neighborhood for clues Thursday, a day after a body was pulled from an apartment building.

Officers responding to a home in the Queen and Devine streets area found a man’s body about 10:30 am Wednesday, Sarnia police said in a Wednesday release.

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The death, initially treated as suspicious, was “upgraded to a homicide,” police said in a Thursday release.

“The identity of the deceased will not be disclosed until next of kin notifications have been completed,” police added. “Additional details will be released as they become available.”

The investigation focused on 219 Queen St., a small two-level apartment building that was cordoned off with yellow bail tape. Staff from Sarnia’s Smith Funeral Home took a body out of Unit 4 late Wednesday afternoon with the assistance of Sarnia police and firefighters.

Small clusters of neighbors came out of their homes and watched as the body was loaded into a black vehicle. It’s unclear who the deceased was or if they lived in the building.

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Several neighbors said a man lived in Unit 4.

Multiple neighbors said they saw the man outside the unit Tuesday night.

One neighbor, Brianna Bentley, who has a security camera, said she got video of police kicking the door in about 9:20 am Wednesday. Investigators stationed in the area “haven’t said anything,” she said.

The window in the front door to Unit 4 was boarded up, but neighbors said that was there before officers arrived Wednesday.

“The public can expect a continued police presence in the area while the investigation continues,” police said Thursday.

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