Sherbrooke police, firefighters dispose of burnt body mistaken for mannequin

On the morning of July 23rd, members of the Sherbrooke police and fire departments responded to a fire at a factory on Cabana Street, and discovered a charred human-looking figure.

As CTV News reports, the body was first believed to be a "silicone dummy" caught in the blaze. In a press conference, Sherbrooke police chief Danny McConnell explained that after some deliberation between officers and firefighters, they made the decision to dispose of the "mannequin" by throwing it into a dumpster behind the police station. According to CTV News, that dumpster is not accessible to the public.

Just 4 hours later, the story took a tragic turn, as a man called in a missing person's report for his partner. After tracking the woman's whereabouts down to the site of the fire, police checked the dumpster and were able to identify that it was, in fact, her body they had thrown in.

"We are obviously sorry for this incident and we assure you the family will be advised throughout this investigation," Chief McConnell said.

Sherbrooke's fire chief Stephane Simoneau ensured that they "will shine a light on these events over the next few weeks."