The Dryden Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) has confirmed following a post-mortem examination of 33-year-old Darren Burnard that his cause of death was a homicide and the OPP will be investigating the incident as such.
Burnard of Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation was reported missing by family members on January 12, 2022. His body was discovered on March 7, 2022, in a vacant unit in the Hillcrest Trailer Park in Dryden.
Police believe there are no concerns for public safety.
The investigation by members of the Dryden OPP and North West Region Crime Unit is continuing, under the direction of the OPP Criminal Investigation Branch, with assistance from the Forensic Identification Services Unit and in conjunction with the Office of the Chief Coroner for Ontario and Ontario Forensic Pathology Service.
Anyone with information regarding this investigation should contact the OPP at 1-888-310-1122. Should you wish to remain anonymous, you may call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or access their website at ontariocrimestoppers.ca where you may be eligible to receive a cash reward of up to $2,000.
In January members of the Bear Clan was called to assist in the search for the 33-year-old Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation man.
The Bear Clan Patrol of Fort Frances was contacted by the Chief of Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation, Clayton Wetelainen, as well as community members to assist in the search, and Bear Clan patrol volunteers are now in Wabigoon.
The Dryden Police Service reported Burnard was last seen in the Dryden area on December 31, 2021.
He was first reported missing by police on January 13. The investigation has since been taken over by the OPP’s Criminal Investigations Branch.