Toronto police have ruled the deaths of two people whose bodies were found in burned-out vehicles on opposite sides of the city this week homicides.
Investigators announced the development on Friday and identified one of the victims as 32-year-old Marcus Charles.
Two fires, hours apart
Police received calls about the two incidents within hours of each other late Monday night and early Tuesday morning, according to Toronto police.
The first call came in around 11:24 p.m., when officers were dispatched to a hydro field on Reesor Road, near Steeles Avenue East, in the city's northeast. Callers reported a vehicle on fire, and when crews arrived they discovered a body inside the vehicle.
That victim was identified Friday as Charles.
The second call came at 12:55 a.m., sending officers to James Garden Park in Etobicoke for another burning vehicle. Witnesses reported seeing smoke coming from the park, and police said there were also reports of what sounded like an explosion.
After crews arrived, a body was found inside that car as well. The identity of the second victim is not yet known, Toronto police said.
Investigation continues
Police have not said whether they believe the two deaths are connected, and no further details about the investigations have been released.
The discovery of two burning vehicles with bodies inside, roughly 40 kilometres apart within hours of each other, has prompted a major investigative effort spanning multiple divisions of the service.
Reesor Road sits in Toronto's far northeast, near the Steeles Avenue boundary with York Region, while James Garden Park is a west-end green space along the Humber River in Etobicoke.
Anyone with information about either incident is asked to call Toronto police.
