A man whose body was found behind the wall of a women’s public toilet in a Canadian shopping centre died accidentally, police have said.
The investigations unit of the Calgary Police said the man, in his 20s, was alone when he entered the women’s toilets at the Core Shopping Centre last Friday evening.
It is believed that once he was inside the bathroom, he climbed through a vent shaft, got stuck, and later died.
Police were called at about 9.30am on Monday to reports that a body had been found inside the wall of the fourth floor bathroom.
The body was discovered while staff at the centre were doing maintenance in the washroom.
Police said in a statement: “Once inside the washroom, it is believed that he [the victim] climbed on top of a pony wall which was directly behind the toilets and removed a vent cover, which was located on top of the wall.
“The pony wall, used to hide utilities, is approximately 7’ tall and is not connected to the ceiling and has no other access points.
“Based on evidence at the scene, officers believe the victim then climbed inside the pony wall through the vent opening where he became stuck and later died.”
Police said that the man’s motivation for crawling inside the wall remains unknown.
An autopsy has been carried out. Police said that, as the victim’s death is considered accidental, no further information can be released.