Trucker's body found in trailer in Newfoundland after failed police search in Ontario

The Canadian Press
·2 min read

CHANNEL-PORT AUX BASQUES, N.L. — Ontario Provincial Police are facing tough questions about their search for a missing Newfoundland trucker whose rig was found two weeks ago in Ontario, then sent back to Newfoundland, where his body was found Monday in the trailer.

Brian Lush's family last heard from him on April 24, and using data from a GPS tracking device they established that his tractor-trailer was parked at a gas station in Summerstown, Ont.

They contacted the OPP, who issued a news release on April 26 saying surveillance video from the gas station in eastern Ontario showed the 51-year-old truck driver at the front of his rig on April 24 at 4:30 p.m. Lush was expected home in Stephenville, N.L., later that week.

The provincial police force issued a number of subsequent statements, including a plea for video images from dashcams or trail cameras recorded on or near Highway 401 near Cornwall, Ont., on April 25 between 10:30 a.m. and noon.

"An individual partially matching Brian's description had been reported along the highway at that time but could not be located when officers arrived," the OPP said in a statement dated April 29.

The search included help from the OPP's emergency response team, canine units, a remotely operated drone, an OPP helicopter and search and rescue volunteers.

The search failed to turn up anything, except Lush's personal belongings in his truck.

On Monday, the OPP confirmed Lush had been found dead and foul play was not suspected, but the police force did not say where his body was found.

The following day, the RCMP in Newfoundland issued a statement confirming Lush's remains were found Monday inside his tractor-trailer after it arrived in Port aux Basques in the southwestern corner of the island.

On Wednesday, OPP spokesman Bill Dickson did not respond when asked by email if OPP officers had searched the trailer. He confirmed there will be a review of the investigation.

"While we acknowledge that we did not locate the missing person, who was later found deceased inside the trailer after it was returned to Newfoundland, we did conduct an extensive investigation and search to try and locate him," Dickson said.

"We are conducting a review of our investigation and we will share those details with the family, as we continue to liaise with them."

He said the coroner's office in Newfoundland is investigating the death because there was no foul play.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 8, 2024.

— By Michael MacDonald in Halifax

The Canadian Press

  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next

Latest Stories

  • Golfer's prompt release from jail angers some who recall city's police turmoil

    LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — World No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler’s arrest and prompt release from a Louisville jail Friday that let him play in a high-profile tournament after being booked on charges including felony assault has sparked questions on social media over whether he was given preferential treatment because of his fame. They recall what they consider malfeasance by the Louisville police department, which a national report last year found has used excessive force and invalid search warrants

  • Canadian teen says he was fined $580 at McDonald's drive-thru for using app; police dispute

    Mason Prima said he was fined $580 for opening the McDonald's app at a drive-thru in Saskatoon, Canada but police have rejected his story.

  • Arizona man sentenced to natural life in prison for the 2017 death of his wife, who was buried alive

    An Arizona man has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the 2017 death of his wife, who was buried alive in a hand-dug grave near their home, authorities said. Seven years after the murder, David Pagniano decided to plead guilty before his trial was scheduled to start and allowed a judge to determine his sentence without a plea agreement. Pagniano, 62, also was sentenced on May 9 to a 16 ½-year prison term for kidnapping, forgery and fraud, according to the Yavapai County Attorney’s Office.

  • Los Angeles County Explains Why It Won’t Prosecute Diddy Despite Video

    REUTERSThe Los Angeles District Attorney’s office has revealed why it won’t be prosecuting Sean “Diddy” Combs after horrific footage showed him brutally attacking his then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura at a hotel.The office said in an Instagram post that because the alleged attack happened on March 5, 2016, the window to prosecute has lapsed. California’s statute of limitations for simple assault is one year, while aggravated assault is three years. “We are aware of the video that has been circulati

  • Mansfield nursery worker smeared leftovers in toddler's face

    Helen Walker, 49, was caught on CCTV immediately trying to cover up what she had done, police said.

  • Diddy admits beating ex-girlfriend Cassie, says he's sorry, calls his actions 'inexcusable'

    LOS ANGELES (AP) — Sean “Diddy” Combs admitted that he beat his ex-girlfriend Cassie in a hotel hallway in 2016 after CNN released video of the attack, saying in a video apology he was “truly sorry” and his actions were “inexcusable.” “I take full responsibility for my actions in that video. I was disgusted then when I did it. I’m disgusted now,” the music mogul said in a video statement posted Sunday to Instagram and Facebook. The security video aired Friday shows Combs, wearing only a white to

  • 17-year-old girl sex trafficked from Mexico to US is rescued after texting 911 for help

    A 17-year-old girl, a trafficking victim, was rescued by the Ventura County Sheriff's Office in California after texting 911, authorities said.

  • ‘We’ll See You at Your House:’ How Fear and Menace Are Transforming Politics

    One Friday last month, Jamie Raskin, a Democratic member of Congress from Maryland, spent a chunk of his day in court securing a protective order. It was not his first. Raskin, who played a leading role in Donald Trump’s second impeachment hearing, said he received about 50 menacing calls, emails and letters every month that are turned over to the Capitol Police. His latest court visit was prompted by a man who showed up at his house and screamed in his face about the COVID-19 vaccine, Trump’s i

  • An Hours-Long Home Invasion, a Triple Murder, and a Father Who Survived: Inside the Petit Family Murders

    In the early morning hours of July 23, two men broke into the Petits' Cheshire, Conn., home, held them family hostage for hours and assaulted them

  • ‘How do you get hypothermia in a prison?’ Records show hospitalizations among Virginia inmates

    RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — The Virginia State Police investigator seemed puzzled about what the inmate was describing: “unbearable” conditions at a prison so cold that toilet water would freeze over and inmates were repeatedly treated for hypothermia. “How do you get hypothermia in a prison?” the investigator asked. “You shouldn’t.” The exchange, captured on video obtained by The Associated Press, took place during an investigation into the death of Charles Givens, a developmentally disabled inmate at

  • SIU investigating woman's death after arrest in Barrie

    Ontario's police watchdog is investigating after a 28-year-old woman died in hospital Saturday morning after she was arrested in Barrie. Barrie police arrested the woman on Thursday near 49 Colter Street for outstanding warrants, the province's Special Investigations Unit (SIU) said in a news release Saturday. She was taken to the station and held in a cell.On Friday, Ontario police transported the woman from the Barrie police station to Central North Correctional Centre, the SIU said. The woman

  • Man gets 30 years in prison for attacking ex-Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband with a hammer

    SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The man who broke into the home of then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi seeking to hold her hostage and bludgeoned her husband with a hammer was sentenced Friday to 30 years in prison. The attack on Paul Pelosi, who was 82 at the time, was captured on police body camera video just days before the 2022 midterm elections and sent shockwaves through the political world. He suffered two head wounds including a skull fracture that was mended with plates and screws he will have for the

  • "He Had Killed His Own Son, Niece, And Brother Later That Day" And 26 More Terrifying Stories About People Who Encountered Or Knew Killers

    "I look up and make eye contact and he had more blood splattered on his face, and a huge grin."

  • Ontario's police watchdog investigating death of 28-year-old woman arrested in Barrie

    BARRIE, Ont. — Ontario's police watchdog is investigating the death of a woman who passed out while officers were taking her to jail. The Special Investigations Unit says officers with the Barrie Police Service arrested the woman on Thursday night because she was wanted on outstanding warrants. The agency says the officers took the woman to a police station, where she was kept in a cell. The following day, the SIU says special constables with the Ontario Provincial Police were taking the woman f

  • Man dead after being found shot inside car in Brampton, police say

    A man has died after he was found shot in a residential area in Brampton Saturday morning, police say.Peel Regional Police said they were called to the scene of a shooting at Mississauga Road and Sandalwood Parkway shortly before 7:30 a.m.When officers arrived they found the victim inside a car parked in a driveway at one of the residences at Ivor Crescent, Const. Richard Chin said.The man was taken to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries but later died, Chin said.Peel police's homici

  • Sean 'Diddy' Combs Settled Civil Lawsuit with Cassie 'So Quickly' Because of 2016 Hotel Surveillance Video, Says Former CIA Agent

    Former CIA agent Tracy Walder exclusively tells PEOPLE that she predicts "something will come down soon in terms of charges"

  • Andrei Donet found guilty of 2nd-degree murder of Jannai Dopwell-Bailey

    A jury found Andrei Donet guilty of the second-degree murder of 16-year-old Jannai Dopwell-Bailey. Donet was 18 when he was arrested in connection with the case in 2021. The second-degree murder conviction comes with an automatic life sentence in prison with no possibility of parole before 10 years.Dopwell-Bailey was fatally stabbed outside a high school in Montreal's Côte-des-Neiges district in 2021. Crown prosecutor Katerine Brabant said Donet's distinctive tattoos seen in a video he published

  • Man charged with punching actor Steve Buscemi is held on $50,000 bond

    NEW YORK (AP) — The man charged with assaulting actor Steve Buscemi on a Midtown street has been held in jail on bond in New York, prosecutors said. Police have said the 66-year-old actor — known for his roles in “Boardwalk Empire,” and “Fargo,” among other performances — was walking in Manhattan on May 8 when a stranger punched him in the face. Police arrested a man Friday in connection with the assault, three days after having released a photo of the suspect. Buscemi’s publisher has confirmed

  • Two Chiefs offensive linemen arrested, charged with marijuana possession in JoCo

    Two Kansas City Chiefs players were arrested and charged with marijuana possession before being released on bond Friday.

  • Man charged with murder in deaths of 3 Oregon women found in different locations days apart, district attorney says

    A 39-year-old man was indicted by a grand jury Thursday on murder charges for the deaths of three Oregon women whose bodies were found in 2023, according to the Multnomah County District Attorney.