Search for missing teen has been suspended, family says
The search for a missing teen last seen more than a week ago in Winnipeg has been suspended after a body that has yet to be identified was found.
The sister of Inuka Gunathilaka confirmed to CTV News on Thursday that the search for her brother has been suspended.
His family last saw their 16-year-old son on May 24 as he headed off to school. Since then a desperate search by friends and family has been underway to find the boy.
However, the search party which organized a Facebook group, announced in a post Wednesday that police had discovered a body and there are indications it may be that of Inuka's.
Udaya Annakkage, who has been organizing the search, said police are in the process of identifying the body.
"We thought the search had been going for several days, and we thought we would just hold the search and wait for the outcome of the police investigation," Udaya Annakkage, who has been organizing the search.
Inuka was seen around 8:11 a.m. on May 24 at Fort Richmond Collegiate where he dropped off some books at the library and then left.
The family was able to find security pictures and videos of Inuka visiting a 7/11 and Tim Hortons that morning in the area. The search group told CTV News they were able to track Inuka's movements that morning up Pembina Highway from Killarney Avenue to Thatcher Drive.
But after that, the video trail stopped.
Annakkage said more than 200 people have been involved in the search. He said there are many mixed feelings as they await news from police.
"Some are reluctant to accept it, still having some hope that the body is not Inuka's," he said. "From my point of view, until we see confirmation from police, I don't want to come to 100 per cent acceptance."
Const. Claude Chancy, a public information officer with the Winnipeg Police Service, told CTV News on Thursday morning that police are not commenting on the case at this time.
The Winnipeg Police Service's missing persons unit has been investigating.
Inuka's family told CTV News police have contacted them, and are expected to release more details to the media.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'My family doctor just fired me': Ontario patients frustrated with de-rostering
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
Canada Post cracks down on Nunavut loophole to get free Amazon Prime shipping
Amazon's paid subscription service provides free delivery for online shopping across Canada except for remote locations, the company said in an email. While customers in Iqaluit qualify for the offer, all other communities in Nunavut are excluded.
Millions of Canadians have been exposed to potentially toxic chemicals, and they're not going anywhere
For decades, North Bay, Ontario's water supply has harboured chemicals associated with liver and developmental issues, cancer and complications with pregnancy. It's far from the only city with that problem.
Trucker's body found in trailer in Newfoundland after failed police search in Ontario
Ontario Provincial Police are facing tough questions about their search for a missing Newfoundland trucker whose rig was found two weeks ago in Ontario, then sent back to Newfoundland, where his body was found Monday in the trailer.
'It was violent': Police tear down U of A pro-Palestinian encampment Saturday morning
Multiple people at the protest camp torn down at the University of Alberta campus Saturday say police's actions against protesters were "violent" and "disproportionate."
German men with the strongest fingers compete in Bavaria's 'Fingerhakeln' wrestling championship
Despite the threat of dislocated fingers and strained muscles, over 150 Bavarian men came together Sunday to compete in Germany’s unique national championship of “Fingerhakeln,” or finger wrestling.
An apartment block collapses in a Russian border city after heavy shelling, injuring over a dozen
An apartment block partially collapsed in the Russian border city of Belgorod on Sunday, leaving at least 19 injured. Officials blamed Ukrainian shelling and said there were also likely deaths.
Michael Cohen: A challenging star witness in Donald Trump's hush money trial
He once said he would take a bullet for Donald Trump. Now Michael Cohen is prosecutors' biggest piece of legal ammunition in the former president's hush money trial.
Adopted daughter in the Netherlands reunited with sister in Montreal and mother in Colombia, 40 years later
Two daughters and a mother were reunited online 40 years later thanks to a DNA kit and a Zoom connection despite living on three separate continents and speaking different languages.