Investigators searching for missing woman Ying Zhang have located human remains in Kawartha Lakes, York Regional Police announced Wednesday.
Officers found the remains in the Village of Kirkfield, roughly 140 kilometres northeast of Toronto, police said in a news release.
“Investigators are awaiting positive identification from the Office of the Chief Coroner,” the news release reads. “The investigation is ongoing.”
The discovery was made during a ground search around 5 p.m. on Monday, police said, in the area of Palestine Road and Fenel Road.
Zhang, 57, was last seen around 10:40 a.m. Thursday at a wellness centre in the area of Woodbine Avenue and Steelcase Road in Markham. Her family reported her disappearance that evening after she failed to return home from work, police said.
On Saturday, investigators with York police’s homicide and missing persons unit arrested a 26-year-old man from East Gwillimbury.
The man has been charged with kidnapping, forcible confinement and aggravated assault, police said.
The man’s white Ford van was seen in the area at the time of Zhang’s disappearance, according to police. Additionally, he was seen near the van with a large green compost bin.
Police are asking anyone who was in the area at the time Zhang was last seen, or who may have seen the accused’s vehicle, to contact investigators.
