IQALUIT - Police in Nunavut believe they have found the remains of missing University of Waterloo student Ambar Roy.

He was last seen in March 2019 when he was in Iqaluit visiting his parents who were living in the city, according to local news agency Nunasiaq News.

A local hunter came across what he believed to be human remains on Saturday afternoon near a bridge located just outside the city of Iqaluit. The hunter was near a large body of water known locally as the Unnamed Lake.

He reported it to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police's Iqaluit detachment who are now waiting for a coroner to identify the remains and cause of death of the man found.

Roy, 18, was last seen on March 13, 2019 when he was dropped off by a taxi at a bridge that marks the end of a local road leading out of the city and into a cold, barren tundra. It is officially called the Road to Nowhere and is home to many who have moved into new houses and apartment buildings being built along the short stretch of road.

But the end of the road reveals a rough, treeless landscape riddled with deep crevices and large rocks. It is the place Roy went missing.

The rough terrain made for a hazardous ground search last March when rescue teams braved frigid temperatures and trudged through 1.5 to two metres (five to six feet) of snow to look for Roy. The search spanned a ten-kilometre area along the Road to Nowhere and was hampered by two snow storms, RCMP said at the time of the search.

Roy went missing after he was supposed to catch a flight to Ottawa on his way back to Waterloo, according to local news agency Nunasiaq News.

The teen was not allowed to board his March 12 flight because he was caught vaping (using an e-cigarette) somewhere at the airport, Nunasiaq News reported. He returned to the airport again the next day to discuss his flight and left in a taxi. That was when he was dropped off somewhere near the bridge at the end of the Road to Nowhere. It was the last time he would be seen.

His parents expressed concern to Nunasiaq News that Roy may not have been properly dressed for the icy cold temperatures in Iqaluit that March. On March 13, the northern city experienced a low of -31.9 C and a high of -20.5 C, according to historical data from Environment Canada.

By March 27, just two weeks after Roy went missing, local police ended the search. "Given the time frame since Ambar has been last seen, it is believed Ambar has succumbed to the elements. Any further search would be considered a recovery versus rescue mission," an RCMP press release said at the time.

"At this time, there is no evidence whatsoever to support the actions of Ambar being dropped off on the Road to Nowhere were suspicious or criminal in nature."

Officers waited for the ice to thaw and searched the area again using a helicopter in July but didn't find anything. In August, Roy's mother Bijoya Roy, told Nunasiaq News she was still hopeful.

"I am still waiting and hoping my son will come back," she said.

Then on Feb. 15, they received a call from a local hunter about the discovery of human remains.

RCMP officers say they believe the human remains belong to Roy based on information from the site where the discovery was made.

Police say they will continue to investigate the discovery until the coroner's office makes a positive identification of the remains. Roy's parents have been notified of the discovery, police say.

According to Roy's LinkedIn profile, he was pursuing a degree in the environment and business program at University of Waterloo.

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