i borrowed this from an american/canadian/worldwide forum on msn. thought it may interest some here... now they only need to uncover the motive.
Multiple murder discovered in a rural Ont. field
CTV.ca News Staff
Eight men were found dead in a remote part of a southwest farmer's field, prompting Ontario Provincial Police to launch a homicide investigation.
The grisly discovery was made by a property owner near the village of Shedden, about 20 kilometres west of St. Thomas, at around 8:30 a.m. on Saturday.
The resident, who is not considered a suspect, noticed three vehicles and a tow truck parked in a wooded area away from the roadway. He called police upon seeing the victims.
OPP investigators have cordoned off the area and set up a command centre.
During a news conference Saturday afternoon, OPP Sgt. Dave Rektor said it is too early to speculate on motives for the killings.
"At this point we're at the very early stages of this investigation and we're not in a position to speculate on what the motive may be," Rektor said.
Police are not revealing how the eight men died, brushing off reporters' questions about whether the victims had been shot. However, they say there is no immediate danger to people living in the rural Elgin County region.
"At this point we have no concerns for the safety of the citizens in this area. It appears to be an isolated incident," Rektor said.
However, "it's going to have a huge effect on the population here. It's rural Ontario, we're not accustomed to these kinds of incidents unfolding in our backyards," Rektor said.
"Elgin County is a great county, it's known for being very peaceful and a laid-back type of area, so this is definitely not common in this area."
The area's annual event is called Rosy Rhubarb Days, named after the area's main crop.
Rektor's opinion about the area were echoed by area residents.
"I think my first impression was, 'Wow'," Martin Oates said. "You don't expect anything like that happening out here."
Investigators believe the killings took place sometime within a 24 to 48-hour period from the time the victims were found.
The scene remained cordoned off Saturday evening as OPP investigators arrived. The victim's bodies and the four vehicles remained in place as well.
Rektor said the OPP was bringing "an assortment of experts" to the scene to "try to piece it back together."
The vehicles and bodies are being taken to Toronto for further investigation.
Police are also looking for outside help.
"We are appealing to the public for help, to call Crime Stoppers … if they heard or saw anything suspicious on this roadway yesterday or last night."
Another news conference is scheduled for 10 a.m. EDT on Sunday.
Gang related?
There are some rumours this incident could be related to motorcycle gangs. The Canadian Press reported Saturday that Elgin County has some motorcycle clubs operating in the area, including the Hells Angels, the Bandidos and the Loners.
"But when police are directly asked that question, they're simply not saying," said CTV's Denelle Balfour in Shedden, Ont. on Saturday night.
Asked why the police aren't providing more information, she said: "Police often don't reveal much about their investigations. This investigation is in its early stages."
In addition, this case involves multiple homicides, which makes things even more complex, she said.
As to why the police say there's no danger to the public, Balfour said: "Well, we'd certainly like to know. The police are very quick to point out this is an isolated incident. But again, this is a multiple homicide. There are no suspects in custody. That means there is a murderer or murderers on the loose, again leading to more speculation this could be gang-related."
With reports from CTV's Denelle Balfour, Jim Junkin and files from The Canadian Press
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Autopsies planned for Ont. mass murder victims
Updated Mon. Apr. 10 2006 10:15 AM ET
CTV.ca News Staff
Autopsies are planned for today on the bodies of eight men found murdered over the weekend in a rural area in southwestern Ontario.
The Ontario Provincial Police is holding a news conference at 3 p.m. ET today at its Western Region Headquarters in London to discuss the investigation.
Meanwhile, a witness has reported seeing four people being led from a house near where the bodies were found Saturday in Shedden, Ont., according to The Canadian Press.
A local resident, who did not want to be identified, said he saw four people coming out of the home of Wayne Kellestine around 7 p.m. Sunday "with their hands up."
Police have not confirmed anyone has been taken into custody.
On Sunday, police raided a home believed to belong to Kellestine, who is the former leader of the St. Thomas Annihilators and now-defunct St. Thomas Loners biker gangs.
Edward Winterhalder, a former member of the Bandidos biker gang, told The Canadian Press he spoke to current members who recognized four vehicles found with the eight dead men, and said they belonged to the Bandidos gang.
"I can tell you that it's Bandidos that got killed," said Winterhalder, who left the gang in 2003.
He added that Kellestine was affiliated with the Bandidos.
Victims knew each other
The OPP say the men found dead in the farmer's field were known to each other and were from the Greater Toronto Area.
But they say they will only release the men's identities and details of how they died once the autopsies are complete.
Various reports have been published on who the victims might be.
Three members of the Bandidos motorcycle club were reported missing by relatives Friday and may be among the eight bodies, according to a report published Monday in The Globe and Mail.
One of the missing men is believed to be associated with Superior Towing, the Toronto-based company whose truck was found abandoned on a side road south of London, Ont., said The Globe.
The area where the bodies were found, in Elgin County, west of London, has a history of violent confrontations between rival motorcycle clubs.
But police refused to speculate on a motive behind the grisly killings.
"The Hells are present in Ontario; everybody knows that,'' Ontario police Det.-Supt. Ross Bingley told a news conference on Sunday.
"But as far as me discussing the Hells or anybody else, we're working on this murder case, and we're not talking about the Hells.''
The murder scene
Investigators believe the killings took place sometime within a 24- to 48-hour period from the time the victims were found.
The men were found in four vehicles: a grey Pontiac Grand Prix, a silver Infinity SUV, a green Silverado tow truck and a Volkswagen Golf.
Police escorted members of the media beyond barricades for a closer look at the area where the cars were found, but there was little left to see. The bodies and vehicles were removed overnight.
An aerial view of the crime scene Saturday showed the vehicles parked within 200 metres of each other, with the bodies still inside.
Police will keep the crime scene off-limits for at least several days while investigators comb the area for clues.
"Clothing, identification, any evidence that may help us ascertain who they are," OPP Cst. Doug Graham said.
"We wouldn't want the farm owner to encounter (evidence), or anyone from the public," Graham said.
Meanwhile, the Hells Angels have denied any involvement.
"The Hells Angels Motorcycle Club, or any of its members, are not involved in this crime in any way, shape or form,'' the group said in a statement on www.realdealnews.com, which links to its Toronto chapter's website.
"Newspaper reports and speculation to the contrary will be proved completely wrong in the coming days.''
Biker war?
Julian Sher, an investigative journalist who has written two books on bikers, said there is a long-standing hatred between the Bandidos and the Hells Angels.
However, if any of the victims are confirmed to be bikers, it does not mean that the Hells Angels had anything to do with the killings.
"This could be another gang who killed these members of the Bandidos, if that's who they are," Sher told CTV Newsnet. "It could be an internal cleansing.
"But we also know historically both in the London area, in southern Ontario, in British Columbia, across Europe, the tensions between the Hells Angles and other biker gangs have often exploded into violence."
The Bandidos are a Texas-based group of about 800 members. It is smaller than the Hells Angels, which is the world's largest biker gang, but Sher says the Bandidos have always been more "in your face."
"Their slogan on their Canadian website is: 'We are the people your parents warned you about.'
"Very tough, but never able to take a foothold in Canada because the Hells Angels through a combination of bribes, bluster and often bullets have always crushed them," said Sher.
With files from CTV's Denelle Balfour and The Canadian Press
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Originally Posted by Nitzer
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