ENNISKILLEN TOWNSHIP – An experienced boilermaker from Sarnia was killed in what provincial police are saying is a homicide investigation, the second in just four months in this small Lambton County farming community between Sarnia and London.
Andrew Chute, 45, of Sarnia was found dead at roughly 7 am this past Thursday in the small parking lot of a nature preserve on Marthaville Road, just north of Petrolia, Lambton OPP said. Police had released few details as of Monday and no suspects have been arrested, but they have said it was a targeted incident.
Chute joined the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers Local 128 iron ship builders, blacksmiths, forgers and helpers as a journeyman in August 2001, according to his Facebook page, and was also a mechanic and a welder. A 20-year veteran of the industry who worked for various local companies, Chute was still an active member prior to his death, a union spokesperson confirmed Monday by phone.
The former St. Patrick’s Catholic high school student also worked for Bigras Painting from 2010 to 2016, according to his Facebook page, but the Sarnia-based company did not respond by press time Monday to interview requests to confirm this.
Attempts to reach Chute’s sister Monday were also unsuccessful, but Heather Chute Grant recently told CTV News the family was in shock to learn of her brother’s death.
Despite this being the second homicide investigation since December in Enniskillen Township, a sprawling community of about 3,000 surrounding Petrolia, the township’s mayor said most residents he’s talked to aren’t too concerned.
“I think it’s just coincidence that it happened twice,” Kevin Marriott said Monday.
Although police have released few details other than confirming Chute’s death, the statement by provincial police that indicated the homicide was a targeted incident with no threat to public safety did calm the nerves of nearby residents, the mayor said.
“I have talked to a couple neighbours, and I think if it was a different type of murder there’d be a lot more concern,” Marriott said. “If it was a random murder, then there’d be a lot more worry.”
A Lambton OPP spokesperson did not respond Monday to a request for more information about the investigation.
The nature preserve, formally known as the Marthaville Habitat Management Area, is a rehabilitated gravel pit owned by Lambton County and managed by the St. Clair Region Conservation Authority that includes wetlands, forest and tall grass prairie, as well as a three-kilometre trail . Marriott couldn’t recall another incident similar to this taking place there.
“It was enjoyed by a lot of people because it is a nice area to walk with nature, deer and everything,” he said.
The park was still closed by police Monday, with large signs posted at the entrance in front of the small parking lot. Marthaville Road, between Lasalle and Churchill lines, was closed Thursday through Sunday.
December’s unrelated investigation began on Crooked Road, about 20 kilometers southeast from the park. The body of an 18-year-old Ajax resident was found after police responded to a suspicious-person call there, which led to the discovery of a second body on Watson Street in Sarnia and the arrest of a suspect, a Sarnia carpenter.
The remains of a Markham resident killed in what York Regional police called a targeted attack in the Greater Toronto Area were also found this past fall in a landfill about 30 kilometers east of the park, but outside the township’s borders.
This is the 14th homicide investigation in Sarnia-Lambton since March 2020. A total of 20 first- or second-degree murder charges have been laid in that time.
The latest investigation continues with the assistance of the Chief Coroner of Ontario, Lambton OPP said. Anyone with information is asked to contact the OPP at 1-888-310-1122 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
-with files from Paul Morden