Residents shocked after Fredericton firefighters find body in apartment attic

FREDERICTON – A fire in downtown Fredericton led firefighters to make a shocking discovery on the weekend.

Just before dinner on Sunday night, Richard Balfour heard someone run down the hallway at 279 Aberdeen St. in Fredericton. The man was yelling about a fire, and Balfour acted quickly.

“I knocked on (apartment) four to get them out, I knocked on (apartment) five to make sure nobody was there, but someone was there and I got them out,” said Balfour. “I ran back up and round, got everyone out of (apartment) seven, made sure everybody’s cars were moved and got everybody out.”

Soon after, firefighters arrived and worked to tame the blaze. But when they went into the attic, they made a gruesome discovery – a body, apparently in one of the attic crawl spaces.

Police say the body is not related to the fire and are calling it a “sudden death.” But so far no one knows who the person was or how long the body had been there, though there is speculation the body was in the attic for some time.

Many residents, like Vivian Hawkins, are still processing the discovery.

“I still don’t know what to think about it. Like, I’m just shocked still about it,” she said.

The fire is considered suspicious and police have a suspect in mind. Now residents are looking for answers.

“I hope they find the person, who it was,” said Balfour. “And then the person’s family can get closure.”