The remains of a “young person” have been found at the site of a house explosion in Markham, York Regional Police say.
News of the discovery comes amid the search for a 12-year-old boy, Aran Hamid. He was unaccounted for after a fire and an explosion at his family’s home on Bur Oak Avenue near Kennedy Road Sunday morning.
“Right now, quite frankly, we have more questions than we do answers as far as this investigation,” Staff Sgt. Dave Mitchell told reporters Tuesday evening a short time after the remains were found.
Mitchell said the coroner’s office was being called in to confirm the identification of the person’s remains. He said he wasn’t able to confirm if the remains were that of Hamid.
His mother and two brothers, aged six and 14, were taken to hospital in critical condition. Hamid’s father wasn’t at home at the time of the incident.
A spokesperson for the Office of the Fire Marshal said investigators have determined a fire and an explosion occurred at the house, but it will be some time before the cause and the origin are known.
Anyone with information was asked to call police at 1-866-876-5423 ext. 7541, or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477.