Update: On July 2, Toronto police told Global News “there was nothing criminal in nature” about the death and it is not being investigated any further. A spokesperson for Co-op Taxi said the man who died was one of the company’s drivers.
A man was found dead inside of a vehicle in a Toronto parking lot Thursday morning, police say.
Toronto police said officers were called to the area of Ossington Avenue and Bloor Street West just before 9 a.m.
Police said a citizen called police after the victim was discovered. The parking lot was then cordoned off, but roads did not have to be closed.
A witness who found the body — and asked only to be identified as Paul, worrying for his safety — said he initially thought it might have been a dummy.
“Then I said, ‘There’s something wrong with this guy,’” he said.
Paul said the body appeared to be swollen, “smelled funny” and that there were flies in the vehicle, which was a Co-op taxi.
A spokesperson for the taxi company said they were cooperating with police and could not confirm if the dead man was a driver.
Investigators said it was not clear how the man may have died. Police said it’s being considered suspicious, noting that “all deaths are considered suspicious until deemed otherwise by the coroner.”
Anyone with information was asked to come forward.
— with files from Global News’ Isaac Callan