THUNDER BAY -- Angel Souliere first saw paramedics on her street Sunday night. They were followed by police, more paramedics and finally a funeral home vehicle.

THUNDER BAY -- Angel Souliere first saw paramedics on her street Sunday night.

They were followed by police, more paramedics and finally a funeral home vehicle.

That's when Souliere knew something bad, they city's 10th homicide this year, had taken place just a few houses away from her North Marks Street home. Police identified the victim as 51-year-old Rene Sortolovo. Originally from El Salvador he had been in Thunder Bay since the 1990s. He lived alone at the Marks Street apartment.

"It's a little bit unnerving but I'm not overly worried," she said.

Police were still on scene Tuesday morning at 125 Marks St. N, a large home converted into several apartments. Souliere said the neighbourhood is usually pretty quiet. And while she didn't know the victim the same could be said of Sortolovo.

"From what I heard he was a really quiet guy," she said.

In a release issued early Tuesday morning, police said foul play is suspected in the death of an unnamed male, who died suddenly at a North Marks Street home.



Thunder Bay Police Service executive officer Chris Adams said the investigation is still in a preliminary stage. Officers are holding the location and canvassing the neighbourhood to speak with as many people as they can to try and get information.

"There will be a very extensive forensic examination of that location," Adams said of the apartment.

Family members had called police and asked to check on Sortolovo when they hadn't heard from him in a while Adams said.

Police say they were called Sunday evening to a home in the first block of the residential street, where emergency crews found the victim deceased.

A post-mortem has been conducted on the man.

The investigation continues.



Ten homicide cases for the municipal police force is a massive jump to what its used to. In 2012 city police had seven homicide cases to investigate, while in 2009 they recorded six. Meanwhile, from 2002 through 2008 the force had a total of nine homicides on the books.



Below are the homicide cases the municipal force has investigated each year since 1998: