RCMP confirmed Thursday the body found near North Preston is that of a man, and it is now a homicide investigation.
The body was found Wednesday afternoon near where Sergei Kostin’s burned-out taxi was discovered in January. Police determined the gender but have not yet identified the body.
By Thursday morning, the body was still where it was found as investigators took aerial photos.
RCMP?Cpl. Joe Taplin said the medical examiner visited the scene Thursday, the body was removed and an autopsy will be conducted today. He said an identification should be made after the autopsy.
“We believe the body has been there for a while,” Taplin said.
Kostin picked up a fare on Gaston Road in Dartmouth on Jan. 17 and hasn’t been seen since. Three days after his disappearance, Kostin’s burned taxi was found in North Preston. The 40-year-old from the Ukraine has a wife and two children in his homeland.
Police have been searching the area since January, but officers discovered the body laying about 20 feet from Upper Governor Road on Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. They want to speak with two males who are believed to have been his final customers of the day.
