Article content

A van carrying a man’s body that was stolen from the rear of a Red Deer funeral home early Tuesday morning was found Tuesday evening.

Mounties said the driver of a black 2014 Chrysler Town and Country van briefly left the vehicle around 6:30 a.m. when an unknown thief jumped in and fled the scene. The van was later found abandoned in the Glendale neighbourhood, the man’s body still in the back.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Police find van stolen from Red Deer funeral home with man's body inside Back to video

“This vehicle theft was almost certainly a crime of opportunity, but with a very unfortunate and upsetting twist in that there is a deceased person in the back,” Red Deer RCMP Supt. Ken Foster said in a Tuesday news release.

RCMP remained in the area of the abandoned van Tuesday night to conduct door-to-door enquiries. With help from the forensicidentification section, police continue toinvestigate the theft and are committed toidentifying the culprit, police said in a news release.

Mounties had reached out to multiple law enforcement agencies and also used a helicopter to assist in the search. The dead man’s family was told about the theft.