MONTREAL - Montreal police are investigating a suspicious death far, far, from home.

The Quebec Security Minister has asked Montreal’s finest to look into the case of a dead man found Thursday morning in Gracefield, Quebec a town of about 2,500 residents, that sits 300 kilometres northwest of Montreal.

A 50-year-old man was found lifeless near a bike path in Gracefield, at 9:45 a.m. Thursday. Next to his body sat a small, older-model motorcycle.

About 12 hours prior to the gruesome find, a possibly-related incident took place in Maniwaki, about 40 kilometres to the north.

A man on a similar-style motorcycle fled police who were attempting to apprehend him for motor vehicle violations.

Although his motorcycle was very small, he managed to evade police by slipping down a pedestrian walkway.

The provincial minister made the exceptional decision to ask Montreal police to investigate because there was seen to be a possibility that police might somehow have played a role in the man’s death.

Montreal Major Crimes Unit investigators were en route to western Quebec Thursday evening and were only expected to arrive at around midnight, according to Montreal police representative Jean-Pierre Brabant.