WOROBECK, Bradley Michael 1-18-2008, Calgary, AB

[Cheryl]

http://calsun.canoe.ca/News/Alberta/2008/0...861153-sun.html

Wed, February 20, 2008

The family of a missing Calgary bartender is preparing to mourn as a body is found near a canal outside the city
UPDATED: 2008-02-20 01:54:50 MST



By MICHAEL PLATT





Body discovered near canal possible homicide

Sandy Worobeck is reduced to waiting, caught between her need to mourn and a mom's desperate hope that a missing son is still alive.

Whenever the phone rings, Sandy wonders if she may finally have an answer.

If a man's body found Monday near a Chestermere canal is that of her son, Calgary bartender Brad Worobeck, the waiting will end, and the mourning can start.

"If he's gone, I want it to be over," said Sandy.

"But of course, I keep hoping he'll walk through the door, and that everything is fine."




When you're a mother waiting for an answer, police work is painfully slow.

The only answer Sandy wants -- is it Brad or not -- resolves only one point for police, who must consider dozens of questions if they are to discover how the man died.

Investigators must search the area around the canal in meticulous detail, combing snow, grass and gravel for clues.

The body cannot be moved until it can be scrutinized, as police look for physical evidence which may connect the deceased man with those responsible for dumping him near Chestermere.

And finally, there must be an autopsy, both to establish a cause of death, and to positively identify the man.

That autopsy is expected to take place today, and it's unlikely police will tell anyone who the dead man is until the medical examiner has completed the task.

For Sandy, who has been searching for Brad since his final phone call home, 33 days ago, the clock seems to have stopped.

"I just want to know -- if it is him, it would end the nightmare we've been going through," she said.

"It's not easy to just sit here, not knowing anything."

Brad Worobeck vanished after phoning his mom around midnight to say he'd be home soon, having gone for an after-work drink at King Henry VIII's pub on Stephen Ave.

Brad visited the pub after finishing work at the Palomino Smokehouse, a trendy barbecue and beer joint located on a seedy section of 7 Ave., between Centre St. and 1 St. S.W.

Staff at Palominos waved to the well-liked 27-year-old bartender as he left, just after 10 p.m.

Brad's phone call to his mom was the last contact anyone had with him, and police investigators say he vanished without a trace.

Friends haven't heard from Brad, and the bartender's bank account remains untouched.

Staff at the Palomino are shell-shocked over Brad's disappearance, and news of the body found near Chestermere had those working at the bar fearing the worst.

"It was the first thing that crossed my mind," said Nicole Williams.

"I'm worried that it's Brad -- in one way it would be nice to have closure, but we're still hoping he'll turn up."

Because the man's body was found outside of Calgary, RCMP are overseeing the search and autopsy.

The Calgary Police officer conducting the missing person search, Const. Scott Guterson, says he won't be told whether Brad has been found, at least until RCMP have finished their initial investigation.

"We can't do anything until RCMP have completed their preliminary investigation, so we can't say one way or another," said Guterson.

Brad's mom spent the day at work, waiting to hear from police.

She'd phoned RCMP in the morning, after hearing about the body, but was told there would be little information until the investigation is complete. Yesterday evening, she planned to drive out to the Chestermere canal, to look at the place where the body was found.

"I'm not sure what good it will do, but I want to go," said Sandy.

With the autopsy scheduled for today, Sandy said the idea her month-long agony may soon be over is something to cling to, at the very least.

"It's better than days passing, and not hearing a thing," she said.

"At least this is something."

[Cheryl]

http://www.dose.ca/music/story.html?id=999...0c-9d8a434e9ab7

Headless, mutilated corpse foundSherri ZickefoosePublished: Friday, February 22, 2008CALGARY-A headless body wrapped up and dumped in a culvert just east of Calgary is likely a savage attempt to cover up the identity of both the dead man and his killer.

Mounties are asking for the public's help to identify the homicide victim, a man they say was aged 25 and 55.

The back of the corpse's right hand was mutilated, leading investigators to believe was an attempt to destroy an identifying tattoo or scar.

Attempts to identify the man through fingerprints have failed because they did not match anything on file, police say.

The victim's head has not been recovered, depriving investigators of the opportunity to identify the man through dental records.

"There was a high level of physical violence to this individual," said RCMP spokesman Sgt. Patrick Webb.

"There was a lot of damage to the remains."

A pair of all-terrain-vehicle riders made the gruesome discovery in Chestermere, Alta., on Feb. 18 as they passed by a canal.

Police are now saying the frozen remains were left at the scene up to a week before they were found.

Calls from the public have poured in from people looking for missing loved ones, Webb said.

Investigators are combing through missing-persons reports throughout the province, looking for a match.

Police are using DNA to determine the victim's race, and are not releasing the cause of death or other details. They would not say if the murder was connected to outlaw motorcycle gangs.

Beheading and mutilation is rare, but consistent with the work of organized criminals trying to obscure their victims' identities, says a criminologist.

"This could have been a person with tattooing marks on his face or hands who is part of an organized criminal activity in which these marks could identify a gang, as well as the victim," said Mount Royal College criminal justice studies teacher Janne Holmgren.

"In forensic profiling, we know that females are usually murdered and dismembered for sexual gratification, whereas males are usually dismembered to hide evidence," she said.

"Usually males, if the homicide is not sexually motivated, are killed over drugs and money."

Most male victims typically know their killers in those cases, she said.

Decapitations are rare. Sources said Calgary murder victim Wendy Hewko was found without a head or hands.

Her remains were found on Aug. 1, 2007. Her death is unsolved.

A tattoo on the back of murder victim Yonas Amahazion helped police learn his identity. Amahazion's body was found partially burned in a dumpster in January 2007. Two men are charged in his death.

The dismembered arms of Chad Largy, found by a bottle picker on Jan. 20, 2006, gave police enough clues to identify him.

Police have said the remains found near Chestermere do not belong to missing Calgary bartender Brad Worobeck, who has not been seen since Jan. 18.

[Cheryl]

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/calgary/story/200...ck-missing.html

Family, police search for missing Calgary bartender
Last Updated: Tuesday, February 12, 2008 | 5:56 PM MT
CBC News
Calgary police are hoping a Crime Stoppers re-enactment will help them find a man who vanished last month.

Bradley Worobeck, 27, finished his night shift as a bartender at the Palomino Smokehouse restaurant in downtown Calgary at about 11:30 p.m. on Jan. 17.

Bradley Worobeck was last seen in a Calgary pub on Jan. 17.
(Calgary Police Service)

Half an hour later, he phoned his mother from the nearby King Henry VIII Pub to say he was heading home. Worobeck usually used Calgary Transit to return home, said Calgary police.

Worobeck's family and friends have not seen or heard from him since that phone call.

His mother, Sandy Worobeck, said the disappearance is out of character for her son.

"If I knew he was OK and he's just disappeared and he's going to come home, I can wait forever," she said Tuesday. "But if something has happened to him, which I'm feeling more as the days go on, I just want to find him."



Worobeck's family and police were on hand for the Crime Stoppers taping at the Palomino restaurant Tuesday morning.

"We've done extensive investigations into banking, hospitals, the medical examiner's office, the U.S. border, just to name a few, and at this point, we've found absolutely no information whatsoever to indicate where Brad may be," said Const. Scott Guterson, one of the investigators.

Worobeck is described as:

Six feet, one inch tall.
180 pounds with a slim build.
Short, spiky brown hair and brown eyes.
Wearing black sneakers and a black pea coat.
Clean shaven.
No tattoos, piercings or glasses.

Sandy Worobeck said it took 11 days before police started an investigation, but Guterson said he can't speak to what happened before he was assigned the case.

In the last four months, Calgary police have received 1,800 missing persons reports and most of them turn up, said Guterson, admitting this case seems unusual.
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[Cheryl]

http://www.gov.calgary.ab.ca/citybeat/publ...1_164355_9385_0

Date: Mon Feb 11 16:43:55 2008
Subject: PA/MRU #08-095 MISSING PERSON CASE – RE-ENACTMENT
From: Martin Kemp

-----BEGIN MD5 -----------------------------------

-----------------------------------------------------------------
CITYBEAT - CITY OF CALGARY PRESS RELEASE
-----------------------------------------------------------------

Tomorrow, the Calgary Police Service and Crime Stoppers will
be participating in a re-enactment around a missing person
case.

The Calgary Police Service previously issued a news release
seeking public assistance in locating Bradley Michael
WOROBECK, 27, of Calgary.

He was last seen leaving his place of employment, The
Palomino Smokehouse, 109 7 Ave. S.W., between 11 p.m. and
11:30 p.m., on Thursday, January 17, 2008.

WOROBECK has not yet been located, and police continue to
seek the assistance of the public.

In order to generate tips and information regarding the
whereabouts of WOROBECK, the Calgary Crime Stoppers
Association, the Calgary Police Service and SHAW TV will be
working together to film a Crime Stoppers re-enactment
tomorrow, Tuesday, February 12, 2008.

This will happen at 11 a.m., in front of The Palomino. CPS
investigators will be available to speak to the media at this
time. Employees from The Palomino, who have organized a
poster campaign, will also be present.

Anyone with information about Bradley WOROBECK is urged to
call Cst. Scott Guterson at 567-6800 or Crime Stoppers at 1
-800-222-TIPS (8477).

-30-


Public Contact Information:

Cst. Scott Guterson at 567-6800 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800
-222-TIPS (8477).

Public Email Contact:

cps@calgarypolice.ca

-----END MD5 4330c1a9a99e3e7c90a72be82176d581

[Cheryl]

http://calsun.canoe.ca/News/Columnists/Pla...4843186-sun.php

As weeks go by, faith in a happy ending is fading. But family of a missing city bartender refuses to end search for him
UPDATED: 2008-02-12 23:44:45 MST



By MICHAEL PLATT



Moms are usually the last to lose hope, but Sandy Worobeck believes her son is probably dead.

Sitting at a table in the Palomino Smokehouse, the downtown bar where Brad Worobeck worked, Sandy stares with red-rimmed eyes at a missing person poster featuring her son's photograph.

"I'm thinking the worst, I just can't help it," says Sandy.

"I want to think the best -- I want him to come through the door -- but this is not like him."

Brad Worobeck was last heard from at midnight on Jan. 18, just hours after the 27-year-old bartender finished his shift at the Palomino, a downtown honky-tonk known for its barbecue, bands and boisterous staff.




Just before midnight, Brad phoned his mom from Henry VIII's pub, another drinking establishment located two blocks away, saying he was on his way home -- but he never arrived.

In the nearly four weeks since that night, police, family and co-workers have been searching for Brad, but their faith in a happy ending is fading with each passing day.

His bank account remains untouched, and no one has heard from Brad, a man dedicated to his job, family and friends.

A sudden vanishing act is so unlike Brad that even police, used to dealing with 20 to 30 missing person files a day, say this case stands out: Brad Worobeck wouldn't just disappear. Missing person notices now share wall space with the Palomino's photos of Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings and other honky-tonk heroes.

The bar is an oasis on 7 Ave., a block better known for crack deals and dirty pawn shops, but the loss of a co-worker has left a dark cloud over the place.

"He was a good kid; I adored him," says bartender Christine Berger.

Outside, Calgary Crime Stoppers is filming a recreation of the night Brad vanished, hoping the television footage may trigger a memory.

If anyone saw him after he was seen leaving the Palomino, it may help to piece together the two hours between his shift ending and his phone call home.

Berger admits that she is also struggling with the idea that Brad may have been a victim of foul play.

"In my heart, I don't want to feel that he's dead," she says.

Missing person cases are so common for Calgary's police, they rarely make them an issue, let alone calling the Crime Stoppers team into action. But Const. Scott Guterson says this is an exception, with the police investigation uncovering no evidence Brad was unstable, unpredictable or involved in drugs, all common factors when people go missing.

Brad, on the other hand, was devoted to his career as a bartender, having poured beer at some of the city's best-known establishments, including a popular Red Mile bar during the Flames' celebrated Stanley Cup run.

Guterson says it doesn't fit that the missing man would vanish on his own volition.

"It's very out of character," says Guterson.

Guterson won't speculate on whether Brad was likely a victim of foul play, but he reiterates that this is no ordinary missing person investigation.

"We have a tremendous number of people reported missing in the city every month, and in the vast majority of those cases, the person turns up safe and sound, with a completely mundane reason that they haven't been in contact with friends and family," he says.

"This one is definitely an exception to that rule -- there's simply been no sign of him."

Police have investigated reports that Brad broke up a fight between a patron and two crack-heads outside the Palomino hours before leaving work that night, but there's nothing to suggest the scrap may be connected to his disappearance.

With no answers and little hope, Brad's mom says she won't give up trying to find her son -- because, if nothing else, she wants closure.

"I want him back alive," says Sandy.

"But if I can't have him back alive, I want him back somehow.

[Cheryl]

http://www.albertamissingpersons.ca/images...ECK_Bradley.pdf

File #: 2008029409
Investigating Agency: Calgary Police Service (403-266-1234)
Date Last Seen: January 18, 2008
Place Last Seen: King Henry Pub, Calgary, Alberta
Gender: Male
Age at Time of Disappearance: 27 years
Height: 6'0"; 183cm
Hair Colour: Brown
Clothing/Jewelry Worn at Time of Disappearance:
not known

Additional Information:
Police investigations regarding WOROBECK's whereabouts are currently ongoing.

Contact Information:
If you have any information regarding the disappearance of this person, please contact the investigating agency using the number provided above or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477)

Eye Colour: Brown
Scars/Marks/Tattoos: not known
Bradley Michael WOROBECK
Weight: 180lbs; 82kg

Attached File ( Number of downloads: 11 )
 WOROBECK_Bradley.pdf (228.26 kb)

[Guard Dog]

http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/s...d68a507&k=31090

City man missing two weeks
Jamie Komarnicki , Calgary Herald
Published: Friday, February 01, 2008

Calgary police are looking for a man who has been missing for two weeks.

Bradley Michael Worobeck, 27, was last seen leaving the Palomino Smokehouse between 11 and 11:30 p.m. on Jan. 17.

He called home shortly later from a downtown pub and said he was returning to his Deer Run home.

But he didn't return home, police said.

He missed two work shifts without calling -- something out of character, police said.

Police are investigating the case as a missing persons complaint.

With the recent frigid temperatures, family members are worried for Worobeck's safety.

Worobeck is six feet tall, weighs about 180 pounds and has short, spiky brown hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing black sneakers and a black longshoreman-style, three-quarter length coat. He was clean shaven and does not have any tattoos, piercings or glasses.

Police say foul play isn't suspected.

jkomarnicki@theherald.canwest.com



http://www.cbc.ca/canada/calgary/story/200...ck-missing.html

Family, police search for missing Calgary bartender
Last Updated: Tuesday, February 12, 2008 | 5:56 PM MT
CBC News

Calgary police are hoping a Crime Stoppers re-enactment will help them find a man who vanished last month.

Bradley Worobeck, 27, finished his night shift as a bartender at the Palomino Smokehouse restaurant in downtown Calgary at about 11:30 p.m. on Jan. 17.

Half an hour later, he phoned his mother from the nearby King Henry VIII Pub to say he was heading home. Worobeck usually used Calgary Transit to return home, said Calgary police.

Worobeck's family and friends have not seen or heard from him since that phone call.

His mother, Sandy Worobeck, said the disappearance is out of character for her son.

"If I knew he was OK and he's just disappeared and he's going to come home, I can wait forever," she said Tuesday. "But if something has happened to him, which I'm feeling more as the days go on, I just want to find him."

Worobeck's family and police were on hand for the Crime Stoppers taping at the Palomino restaurant Tuesday morning.

"We've done extensive investigations into banking, hospitals, the medical examiner's office, the U.S. border, just to name a few, and at this point, we've found absolutely no information whatsoever to indicate where Brad may be," said Const. Scott Guterson, one of the investigators.

Worobeck is described as:

Six feet, one inch tall.
180 pounds with a slim build.
Short, spiky brown hair and brown eyes.
Wearing black sneakers and a black pea coat.
Clean shaven.
No tattoos, piercings or glasses.

Sandy Worobeck said it took 11 days before police started an investigation, but Guterson said he can't speak to what happened before he was assigned the case.

In the last four months, Calgary police have received 1,800 missing persons reports and most of them turn up, said Guterson, admitting this case seems unusual.



http://www.gov.calgary.ab.ca/citybeat/publ..._091243_12949_0

Date: Tue Feb 12 09:12:43 2008
Subject: PA/MRU #08-096 MISSING PERSON CASE – RE-ENACTMENT
From: Martin Kemp

-----BEGIN MD5 -----------------------------------

-----------------------------------------------------------------
CITYBEAT - CITY OF CALGARY PRESS RELEASE
-----------------------------------------------------------------

Today, Tuesday, February 12, 2008, the Calgary Police Service
and Crime Stoppers will be participating in a re-enactment
around a missing person case.

Bradley Michael WOROBECK, 27, of Calgary, was last seen
leaving his place of employment, the Palomino Smokehouse, 109
7 Ave. S.W., between 11 p.m. and 11:30 p.m., on Thursday,
January 17, 2008.

After leaving the Palomino, he went to the King Henry VIII
Pub, 221 8 Ave. S.W., where he made a call to family shortly
after midnight, stating he was on his way home to the Deer
Run area. He normally used Calgary Transit to go home from
the downtown core.

WOROBECK has not returned to his residence or workplace since
January 17, 2008. This is out of character for him, yet there
are no concrete reasons to suspect foul play at this time.


WOROBECK is 6’ 1”, 180 lbs., with a slim build. He has short,
spiky brown hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing
black sneakers and a black, longshoreman style, three-quarter
length coat. He was clean shaven and does not have tattoos,
piercings or glasses.

Police continue to seek the assistance of the public in this
case.

In order to generate tips and information regarding the
whereabouts of WOROBECK, the Calgary Crime Stoppers
Association, the Calgary Police Service and SHAW TV will be
working together to film a Crime Stoppers re-enactment today
at 11 a.m.

This will take place in front of the Palomino Smokehouse. CPS
investigators will be available to speak to the media at this
time. Employees from the Palomino, who have organized a
poster campaign, will also be present.

Anyone with information about Bradley WOROBECK is urged to
call Cst. Scott Guterson at 567-6800 or Crime Stoppers at 1
-800-222-TIPS (8477).

RELEASED BY THE PUBLIC AFFAIRS/MEDIA RELATIONS UNIT FOR
A/SGT. SHAREEN FINUCAN OF THE CRIME STOPPERS UNIT.

-30-


Public Contact Information:

Anyone with information about Bradley WOROBECK is urged to
call Cst. Scott Guterson at 567-6800 or Crime Stoppers at 1
-800-222-TIPS (8477).

Public Email Contact:

cps@calgarypolice.ca

-----END MD5 95961a96b940e570c452d4635d74addd-----



http://calsun.canoe.ca/News/Alberta/2008/02/19/4860449.html

Tue, February 19, 2008

Cops await autopsy on body found near Chestermere
UPDATED: 2008-02-19 19:11:09 MST

By NADIA MOHARIB, SUN MEDIA

Facebook Digg Del.icio.us Google Stumble Upon Furl Newsvine Reddit Technorati Blinklist Feed Me Yahoo Socializer Ma.gnolia Raw Sugar Simpy Squidoo Spurl Blink Bits Rojo Blogmarks Shadows Netvouz Scuttle Co.mments Bloglines Tailrank Sitejot + Help

Mounties hope an autopsy today will reveal the identity of a body found near a culvert in the Chestermere area — now the subject of a homicide investigation.

Staff Sgt. Patrick Webb said people out on quads noticed something suspicious and when they went to take a look made the grisly discovery on Monday afternoon near R.R. 281 and Inverlake Rd.

It was not far from a farmhouse and roads.

Calgary Search & Rescue crews scoured a large area Tuesday for any other possible evidence.

An autopsy will be done today to identify the person and try to reveal what happened.

The case is being investigated as a homicide, Webb said.

“It is very suspicious,” he said, adding there are signs of violence evident.

The body was likely near the mouth of the culvert for as long as a week or more and urges anyone who saw anything suspicious in the area within the past wee or 10 days to contact police or Crime Stoppers, Webb added.

He said it is too early to say whether the body is that of missing Calgary man Bradley Worobeck.

The 27-year-old was last seen after finishing his shift and left the Palomino Smokehouse downtown on Jan. 17.

He went to the King Henry VIII Pub at 221 8 Ave. S.W. and called family just before midnight to say he was on his way home to the Deer Run area.

Calgary homicide Staff Sgt. Kevin Forsen said his unit is supporting Mounties in their investigation.

“Right now we are not actively involved in the investigation,” he said.

“We are providing whatever information they need because of the geographical proximity.”

Please call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 if you have nay information on the case.



http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Crime/2008/02/...861858-sun.html

Body discovered near canal possible homicide
February 20, 2008
By NADIA MOHARIB -- Sun Media

The Calgary Sun

Mounties hope an autopsy today will reveal the identity of a body found near a culvert in the Chestermere area -- now the subject of a homicide investigation.

Staff Sgt. Patrick Webb said people out on quads near R.R. 281 and Inverlake Rd. on Monday afternoon noticed something suspicious and when they went to take a look, they made the grisly discovery.

Yesterday Calgary Search & Rescue crews scoured a large area for any other possible evidence.

An autopsy will be done today to identify the person and try to reveal what happened.

Sources said the body was wrapped in plastic.

The case is being investigated as a homicide, Webb said.

The body was likely near the mouth of the culvert for as long as a week or more, Webb said.

Webb also added that the police urge anyone who have seen anything suspicious in the area within the past week or 10 days to contact police or Crime Stoppers

He said it is too early to say whether the body is that of missing Calgary man Bradley Worobeck.

Please call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 if you have any information related to the case.



http://www.660news.com/news/local/article....221_211329_7372

Still no I-D in Chestermere murder case
February 21, 2008 - 7:14 pm
Shannon Morrow

The RCMP Southern Alberta Major Crime unit confirms it's a murder case, but officers are having trouble identifying the man found dead near Chestermere on Monday.

The autopsy was completed today.

The Mounties say they'll release information about the victim tomorrow, and will need the public's help in finding out who he was.

They're staying quiet for one more day, to make sure they don't release key information that could compromise the investigation.

The RCMP tell 660News they do not think the victim was Bradley Worobeck, a missing Calgary bartender.



http://www.cbc.ca/canada/calgary/story/200...re-autopsy.html

Unidentified body found in Alberta ditch was decapitated
Last Updated: Friday, February 22, 2008 | 12:10 PM MT
CBC News

Police are having a hard time identifying the body of a man found near Chestermere because it went through a high level of violence and is missing the head, Alberta RCMP said Friday.

A group of people off-roading in the area found the frozen remains in an irrigation canal near Chestermere, a town about 20 kilometres east of Calgary, on Monday afternoon. Police said it appeared the body was dumped there about a week before the discovery.

There was physical damage to the back of the man's right hand, indicating there may have been a mark, scar or tattoo there, said police.

Investigators are not releasing a cause of death but RCMP Sgt. Patrick Webb said said a "high level of physical violence was found on the remains of the victim." They're still looking for the man's head.

"Right now, there is so many things we don't know about this," Webb said on Friday. "We don't know the reason this person was killed. We don't know who did it. We don't know why this level of violence was used."

Based on an autopsy completed Thursday, investigators estimated the man's age from 25 to 55, but no possible missing individuals should be excluded.

They also said the victim was five feet nine inches tall and about 160 pounds with a medium skin tone. Investigators are rushing DNA analysis to determine the victim's race.

On Thursday, Webb said it was too early to say whether the body is that of Bradley Worobeck, 27, a missing Calgary bartender who was last seen after his night shift at a downtown restaurant on Jan. 17.

[Guard Dog]

Bradley Michael Worobeck's Facebook search page:

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=7760323903

[Guard Dog]

http://www.canada.com/topics/news/national...0c-9d8a434e9ab7

Headless, mutilated corpse found

A headless body wrapped up and dumped in a culvert just east of Calgary is likely a savage attempt to cover up the identity of both the dead man and his killer.

By Calgary Herald
February 22, 2008

CALGARY—A headless body wrapped up and dumped in a culvert just east of Calgary is likely a savage attempt to cover up the identity of both the dead man and his killer.

Mounties are asking for the public’s help to identify the homicide victim, a man they say was aged 25 and 55.

The back of the corpse’s right hand was mutilated, leading investigators to believe was an attempt to destroy an identifying tattoo or scar.

Attempts to identify the man through fingerprints have failed because they did not match anything on file, police say.

The victim’s head has not been recovered, depriving investigators of the opportunity to identify the man through dental records.

“There was a high level of physical violence to this individual,” said RCMP spokesman Sgt. Patrick Webb.

“There was a lot of damage to the remains.”

A pair of all-terrain-vehicle riders made the gruesome discovery in Chestermere, Alta., on Feb. 18 as they passed by a canal.

Police are now saying the frozen remains were left at the scene up to a week before they were found.

Calls from the public have poured in from people looking for missing loved ones, Webb said.

Investigators are combing through missing-persons reports throughout the province, looking for a match.

Police are using DNA to determine the victim’s race, and are not releasing the cause of death or other details. They would not say if the murder was connected to outlaw motorcycle gangs.

Beheading and mutilation is rare, but consistent with the work of organized criminals trying to obscure their victims’ identities, says a criminologist.

“This could have been a person with tattooing marks on his face or hands who is part of an organized criminal activity in which these marks could identify a gang, as well as the victim,” said Mount Royal College criminal justice studies teacher Janne Holmgren.

“In forensic profiling, we know that females are usually murdered and dismembered for sexual gratification, whereas males are usually dismembered to hide evidence,” she said.

“Usually males, if the homicide is not sexually motivated, are killed over drugs and money.”

Most male victims typically know their killers in those cases, she said.

Decapitations are rare. Sources said Calgary murder victim Wendy Hewko was found without a head or hands.

Her remains were found on Aug. 1, 2007. Her death is unsolved.

A tattoo on the back of murder victim Yonas Amahazion helped police learn his identity. Amahazion’s body was found partially burned in a dumpster in January 2007. Two men are charged in his death.

The dismembered arms of Chad Largy, found by a bottle picker on Jan. 20, 2006, gave police enough clues to identify him.

Police have said the remains found near Chestermere do not belong to missing Calgary bartender Brad Worobeck, who has not been seen since Jan. 18.

© © CanWest MediaWorks Publications Inc.