Vancouver Police have identified the body found at a Vancouver mansion Wednesday as belonging to a Japanese student missing for about three weeks.
Shortly before 7 p.m., police found a woman’s body on the property of the Gabriola mansion on Davie Street near Nicola Street. She has been identified as 30-year-old Natsumi Kogawa.
Vancouver police say after several days without contact with friends or family, Kogawa was reported missing on Sept. 12.
Investigators say she was was last seen in Burnaby on Sept. 7, and the primary missing persons investigation was turned over to the Burnaby RCMP Serious Crimes Unit.
The missing person investigation led police to search the grounds at the heritage building on Davie Street. The investigation has now been turned over to the VPD Major Crime Section.
A 48-year-old man was arrested in Vernon shortly before midnight on Thursday. William Victor Schneider has now been charged with indignity to a human body and remains in custody.
Sgt. Brian Montague, a spokesman for the Vancouver police, could not say whether the investigation was a homicide, as investigators are still gathering evidence.
“There must be evidence to support charges. It is still very early in the investigation and an autopsy scheduled for Monday will hopefully determine cause and approximate date of death,” he said.
Montague said that it will be up to the Crown to lay any additional charges as the evidence is collected.
Earlier this month, Burnaby Mounties released video surveillance footage taken at 1:27 p.m. on Sept. 8 near Seymour and Hastings in Vancouver. Investigators wanted to speak to the man seen walking with Kogawa.
Kogawa was living in Burnaby and studying English in the Vancouver area when she went missing.
The 17,000-square-foot Gabriola mansion was built by the Rogers family in 1901. It has been sitting empty since the Macaroni Grill restaurant closed in the 1990s. It was eventually sold for $6.2 million to Nevin Sangha, who plans to convert it back to rental apartments.
Gabriola is the only mansion left in the West End.
— with a file from John Mackie
