Image: Ross Aikenhead, used with permission / The B.C. Coroners Service says it is investigating the discovery of a deceased person found inside this Smart car Sunday afternoon, June 9, along Chilliwack Lake Road east of the fish hatchery. 

By Mike Vanden Bosch

Body discovered

B.C. Coroners Service investigating deceased person found in a small car along Chilliwack Lake Road

Jun 10, 2024 | 3:18 PM

CHILLIWACK — The B.C. Coroners Service has confirmed that it is investigating the discovery of a body in the Chilliwack River Valley over the weekend.

According to a brief email confirmation Monday afternoon, Amber Schinkel from the B.C. Coroners Service says there is an open investigation about a person that was located deceased.

“I can confirm the B.C. Coroners Service is investigating, but because it’s an open investigation, I cannot provide any more details,” said Schinkel, who added in a follow-up email that a person was indeed deceased. “A person was deceased, which prompted the Coroners Service’s involvement.”

Fraser Valley Today was alerted about the incident by Chilliwack resident Ross Aikenhead, who frequently travels to the beautiful Chilliwack River Valley with his dog. Aikenhead said he headed east on Chilliwack Lake Road Sunday and saw a vehicle that he said had been parked there for three days.

While motorhomes and travel trailers are sometimes parked for multiple days and weeks in the Chilliwack River Valley, this one appeared out of the ordinary.

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Aikenhead said he pulled up beside the Smart car, which was parked facing south. Aikenhead said he noticed an older man in his 50s or 60s with his head leaning back on the head rest. The windows were up.

“The windows were up and he just looked like he was sleeping,” Aikenhead said. “[His] head was back on the headrest and eyes closed. It had been there for at least 3 days, I almost stopped yesterday (Saturday) because a large black bear was only about 30 meters away from it.”

Aikenhead said he did not notice any obvious signs of foul play, any blood on or around the man, or broken glass around the vehicle to indicate a struggle.

Image: Google Maps / According to GPS coordinates provided by Chilliwack resident Ross Aikenhead, this is the location of where a body was found inside a Smart car Sunday, June 9, along Chilliwack Lake Road.

“It just looked like he was sleeping,” Aikenhead said. “No foul play.”

Aikenhead said he called the RCMP at 2:51 p.m. to report the incident. He called police from Thomson Regional Park when he regained cell reception, as there was no cell service at the car’s location.

According to another witness, RCMP remained at the vehicle for at least an hour after first being dispatched.

The Smart car was later towed away sometime around 7:15 p.m.

Image: Submitted, used with permission / The Smart car was later towed Sunday, June 9.

Fraser Valley Today has reached out to the Upper Fraser Valley RCMP detachment seeking information on the incident. The Chilliwack RCMP detachment responded Tuesday morning that it cannot provide any information about the incident.