Remains found in Oro (4 photos)

ORO-MEDONTE TWP. – Provincial police are investigating after a group of hunters found human remains at a golf course north of Barrie, Tuesday morning. 

Police are on scene at Heritage Hills Golf Club, located on Line 1 of Oro-Medonte Township at the intersection of Gore Road. 

“It's a fair distance into the property,” OPP Sgt. Peter Leon said at the scene, adding the hunters, who had permission to be on the land, made the discovery shortly before 8 a.m. 

He described the area as densely wooded and located just off one of the fairways.

“This person has likely been there for an extended period of time,” Leon added. “The exact time frame is something we'll have to determine.”

Police are expected to remain on scene until Thursday and possibly even into Friday, he said. 

Investigators with the Barrie-Orillia OPP Crime Unit are setting up a large tent and thawing the ground around where the remains were found, which Leon said could take more than 24 hours, as well as using all-terrain vehicles to search the surrounding area.

“It's a large enough area, so we don't want anything to be missed,” Leon said. “There's a great deal of snow and ice.

“At this point, the snow in the area is significant and we have limited visibility, so we'll probably maintain a presence in this area for the next 36 to 48 hours until the snow and ice does melt,” he added.

No foul play is suspected, but Leon said the investigation is in its early stages. 

“There is nothing to suggest there is a risk to public safety,” the sergeant said. “This appears to be an isolated incident.”

Barrie city police were also on scene because the discovery was made just outside their jurisdiction, Leon said.

OPP and city police will cross-reference missing persons cases, Leon said, which would include Mandy Thompson, a 72-year-old Barrie woman who suffered from dementia and who hasn't been seen since Feb. 3, 2017. A grainy video image showed the Laidlaw Drive resident walking northbound on Penetanguishene Road later that morning.

Police searches for Thompson extended into Oro-Medonte Township, including air and ground searches along Line 1, Gore Road and Penetanguishene Road.

Leon said there is no indication of age or gender for the human remains that were found, adding positive identification will be made following a post-mortem examination at the Centre of Forensic Sciences in Toronto.

“It's much too early to make that determination,” Leon said.

Local resident Raymond Dumont said he was surprised to see the police presence in such as sparsely populated area.

“I am shocked to hear that,” said Dumont, who has lived in the area for five decades. “This is right next door to me. I don't know what to think. With no identification, it's hard to comment right now.”