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Canadian police say the remains of an adult male have been found lodged behind the wall of a public toilet.

A maintenance worker made the discovery on Monday morning in the women's restroom in a shopping centre in central Calgary, Alberta.

He removed a wall panel in order to repair a toilet that would not flush and found the body.

Police say they have not yet determined cause of death. A post-mortem examination was performed on Tuesday.

"Despite the circumstances of where the body was located, investigators do not suspect foul play and the death remains classified as undetermined," police said in a statement.

Calgary fire services were called in to remove the body.

Calgary police spokeswoman Emma Poole told CBC News they believe it is possible someone was crawling through a vent or duct, fell from above and became stuck behind the wall.

"So that is obviously something they would be looking at is someone crawling through the ventilation system," she said.

Ms Poole told the BBC police currently believe the man "probably went in there on his own" and was unable to call for help.

The investigation into when the victim died and how he ended up inside the wall at the Core shopping centre is continuing.