University of Manitoba Security Services reported the discovery of a body on the University of Manitoba’s Fort Garry campus to the Winnipeg Police Service (WPS) around 1 p.m. on Monday afternoon.
A large section of the pedway between University Centre and Engineering Building is currently closed off.
A WPS spokesperson said that police officers responded to reports of a male who appeared to be deceased. The male was transported to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The Winnipeg Police Service said that they are not treating the death as suspicious at the moment, rather they are treating it as a “sudden death investigation” and are currently working to identify the body.
Early indications suggest that the individual was not a U of M student, said university spokesperson John Danakas. The university will be releasing a statement later today.
University of Manitoba Security Services declined to comment at press time.
UPDATE 2:45 p.m. Tuesday Jan. 3, 2012
When contacted on Tuesday by the Manitoban WPS Const. Jason Michalyshen stated that the investigation is ongoing and police could not release any new details regarding the individual’s cause of death at this time, though an autopsy is scheduled for today.
“Notifying next of kin will be the next priority,” said Michalyshen.
He added that if the investigation leads to anything warranting a public release, police will be notifying the public of details of the investigation in the next few days.
“If [WPS] is not investigating something of public interest, it is likely a matter of private nature,” he said.
UPDATE 10:00 a.m. Wednesday Jan. 4, 2012
The U of M said in a statement, released Tuesday evening, that WPS has confirmed the individual found on campus was not a student. The release went on to say that police have determined foul play was “not a factor” in his death.
