Northern Ont. group discovers abandoned four wheeler connected to a man who went missing in 2017
It was quite the discovery last weekend for a group of ATVers out on a ride who ended up finding the four wheeler belong to a man who has been missing for four years.
Paul Yelland, who was 66 at the time he went missing, was last seen Oct. 23, 2017, in the area of Beaver Lake near Watabeag Lake. It's a remote area west of Kirkland Lake.
At the time of his disappearance, Ontario Provincial Police said he was “possibly operating a red 2006 Honda TRX four wheeler with the Ontario License plate RT758.”
Glenn Waldron said he was just out for a regular trail ride last Friday with his daughter, her boyfriend and his other daughter's boyfriend when they decided to go down an overgrown trail.
“All of a sudden we had to stop to cut a tree and my daughter’s boyfriend happened to look up and here’s an ATV sitting there up against a log,” said Waldron, who found the vehicle.
“So he figured it was the guy's bike for sure. But when we got to the bike, it had a license plate on it and it matched for the missing person from Watabeag. So then we found his helmet just a little ways from the bike.”
After confirming the bike matched the license plate that was connected to Yelland, the group called 911.
“The next day four police officers showed up with their ATVs and I said ‘well we’ve got to go out back the same way we came out,’" Waldron said.
"So we started in there and it was getting rough and then it started raining, and as we were going we come across another tree that had to be cut and everybody was stopped."
At that point, he said one of the officers looked beside his ATV and saw something on the ground.
"So he got off his bike and moved all the brush,” he said.
Waldron said the officer found human remains on the side of the trail, about 700 metres from where the four-wheeler was found.
CTV News has not been able to confirm with OPP if the remains found are Paul Yelland. But on Monday, OPP confirmed human remains had been discovered in a "very desolate area" in the northwest section of the Kirkland Lake OPP detachment area.
The investigation is ongoing, police added.
Correction
Paul Yelland was 66 at the time of his disappearance in 2017, not 68 as previously reported.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Spectacular aurora light show to be seen across Canada Friday night
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
'Tactical evacuations' underway near Fort Nelson, B.C., as wildfires encroach
The BC Wildfire Service says 'tactical evacuations' began Friday near Fort Nelson, B.C., due to an out-of-control wildfire that has grown rapidly since it was discovered earlier in the afternoon.
Snowbirds in Vancouver for puck-drop flyby as Canucks face Oilers
The Canadian Forces Snowbirds will be performing a flyover across downtown Vancouver at the start of tonight's Stanley Cup playoff game between the Canucks and the Edmonton Oilers.
McGill University seeks emergency injunction to dismantle pro-Palestinian encampment
McGill University has filed a request for an injunction to have the pro-Palestinian encampment removed from its campus.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
Video shows naked raccoon catching B.C. family by surprise
When Marvin Henschel spotted a strange and hairless creature wandering through a front lawn in B.C.'s Lower Mainland, he could barely believe his eyes.
Barron Trump declines to serve as an RNC delegate
Former U.S. President Donald Trump's youngest son, Barron Trump, has declined to serve as a delegate at this summer’s Republican National Convention, according to a senior Trump campaign adviser and a statement from Melania Trump's office.
Out-of-control wildfire prompts evacuation alert for Fort McMurray, Saprae Creek Estates Friday night
An evacuation alert was issued for two Wood Buffalo communities Friday night, as crews battled an out-of-control wildfire near Fort McMurray.