Fire investigators find body in burned out North Battleford home

A criminal investigation has been initiated after North Battleford firefighters found the remains of a deceased person inside a burned home on 105th Street.

The house – which was also one of the locations where Tiki Laverdiere was tortured – caught on fire on June 15. The cause of the fire has not been determined yet, and the fire remains under investigation.

When investigators entered the remains of the building on Monday, they found human remains inside, according to a media release from the city.

The person’s identity has not been released, and the death is under investigation with an autopsy planned.

A man who was inside the residence at the time of the fire was transported to hospital for cuts and lacerations from glass, as he exited the home from a second-storey window.

The burned residence has previous ties to criminal activity. It was connected to Mavis Takakenew, who received an 18-month sentence for her role in the 2019 killing of Laverdiere. Court documents cited the house on 105th Street North as one of three homes where Laverdiere was assaulted and tortured prior to her murder.

Editor’s Note: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that the RCMP Major Crimes Unit was investigating the death.