A body found in a river running through a golf course northwest of Toronto had been exposed to the elements for “some time,” police said Friday as they investigated the discovery.
Halton Regional Police said the body of a man was found Thursday afternoon in Sixteen Mile Creek at the Royal Ontario Golf Club in Milton, Ont.
Spokesman Ryan Anderson said police couldn’t confirm a cause of death yet, but it was clear the body had been in the creek for a while.
"There was some obvious signs of exposure to the elements," Anderson said in an interview.
"I wouldn't want to guess, hypothetically, how long the body had been in the water or if it had come from a different location in the waterway, but it certainly had been some time."
Anderson said the police were contacted at about 1 p.m. on Thursday by a staff member at the course, who said a golfer had noticed something floating in the river.
"Staff came out and they thought it was a body and they did contact us, and our officers attended and confirmed that," he said.
The body was removed from the water by the Halton Regional Police marine unit, with assistance from the Peel Regional Police marine unit and Milton Fire, Anderson said.
"Our investigators right now are working to confirm the identify of the deceased, and when we have more details and more information, we'll give further updates on that," he said.
There is no evidence to suggest members of the public should be concerned for their safety, Anderson said.
John Dickie, a director with Kaneff Golf Group, which oversees the Milton course, said one of the holes was closed down for a few hours while police completed their investigation.
"We asked the police, 'do you want us to close the golf course down?' And they were like, 'No, no, no,'" he said. "So the golfers were just diverted to the next hole, so they didn't even come close (to the investigation)."
Dickie said "nothing like this" has ever happened at the golf course, adding 911 was "immediately" called after what was suspected to be a body was found in the water.
"You really couldn't see anything (when police removed the body)," said Dickie. "And we have our own grief counselling...HR has already reached out to the staff."
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Halton Regional Police Service at their non-emergency line at 905-825-4777.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 10, 2022.
Jessica Smith, The Canadian Press
