

Rachael D'Amore and Joshua Freeman, CP24.com





A Toronto man has been charged with murder after a dismembered body was found inside a home in a quiet Markham neighbourhood over the weekend.

Police learned about the remains Sunday night at around 6:30 p.m. after two men arrived at a police station in Scarborough and informed officers there that a murder had taken place. One of the men was then taken into custody.

Acting on the information, Toronto police found the body at a home on Laureleaf Road, just north of Steeles Avenue and east of Bayview Avenue and then informed York Regional Police.

YRP Const. Andy Pattenden told reporters Monday that officers entered the home to find a disturbing scene.

“From what I’ve been told it was a pretty grisly scene, a very challenging scene for a lot of veteran police officers,” Pattenden said.

At about 1 a.m. Monday, police carried several body bags from the basement of the house to the body removal van. Officers said there was only one deceased person found at the scene and that five body bags were used because the body was dismembered.

Pattenden said forensics teams will likely be at the home for the next day or two to process the scene.

Speaking with CP24, neighbours described the property as a “problem house,” citing recent noise violations. The house has been under renovation for several months, neighbours said.

“My daughter says, ‘Dad there’s police across the street.’ I don’t pay attention to it because there’s been a lot of police across the street,” one man at the scene told CP24. “But when there are six cars, eight cars, Metro, York, and then the big machines show up -- then you know something’s wrong.”

Another neighbor said the scene Sunday night was unusual for the area.

“It's a very nice, very friendly, very quiet neighbourhood, so it's very scary,” he said.

Peizheng Qiu, 28, has been charged with first-degree murder and indecent interference with a dead body, police said Monday. He was scheduled to make a court appearance this morning.

Pattenden said the relationship between the victim and the accused is not yet clear. He said the second man who went to police is part of the investigation, but is not facing any charges.

Toronto Police and York Regional Police say there is no threat to the public at this time but urge any witnesses to contact Crime Stoppers or Homicide at 1-866-875-5423.