Dharm Makwana

Foul play befell an adult found dead Monday in Burnaby at a wooded area near Winston Street and Piper Avenue.

"It's a homicide," declared Cpl. Dale Carr just hours after a passerby walking through a trail found the body lying in bushes.

Carr declined to identify the age or gender of the victim, who investigators believe died a short time before the grisly discovery.

The RCMP spokesman ruled out any connection between the latest body found to a case in North Vancouver where a woman in her 40s was found stuffed inside a garbage bag last Wednesday. He added there were no apparent signs the killing was the work of gangs or organized crime.

By early afternoon Burnaby Serious Crimes Unit, an RCMP forensic unit and a dog squad had swept the area for clues. The area is cordoned off until at least Tuesday to allow the Lower Mainland District Tactical Troop to conduct a comprehensive search.

"The wooded area can be a very tricky type of search," Carr said.

A string of at least eight police cruisers flashing their lights drew Tino Cucca to the crime scene, an area often used by locals as a dog park.

When the 27-year-old heard a body was found he wasn't surprised.

"It's not fair to say that it's a shock that it happens in your neighbourhood ... because it happens in every neighbourhood now," he said. "There's no such thing as a quiet neighbourhood or a safe neighbourhood now."