Body discovered in Lethbridge McDonald's storage shed not result of foul play: police

Lethbridge police say there's no evidence of foul play after an investigation into the death of a man whose body was located in a storage shed.

On July 14, around 12:30 p.m., police responded to a report that workers from a restoration company had discovered a body inside a storage shed at the McDonalds on the 500 block of University Drive.

The shed had been damaged in a fire in early July and workers were trying to provide remediation services.

The body was transported to the medical examiner's office in Calgary, where an autopsy was performed this week. The deceased was a 33-year-old Lethbridge man the autopsy indicated was inside the shed at the time of the fire.

Lethbridge police say a body was in a storage shed at the McDonalds in the 500 block of University Drive West on Friday, July 14, 2023.

The cause of death remains undetermined, pending toxicology test results that may take a number of months.

The fire took place July 3 at around 11 p.m. Staff reported it and Lethbridge fire crews and emergency service workers responded. There had been a past break and enter earlier that morning and crews determined that the fire was suspicious.

Because of the location of the body and a large amount of debris in the shed, it wasn't discovered by the fire department during their search of the interior.

Police say there's no evidence to suggest the man's death was criminal in nature.