Body discovered in trunk of burned vehicle in east end of Montreal

Montreal police (SPVM) are investigating after the body of a man was found in the trunk of a torched car in the city's east end Saturday night.

First responders received a call around 12:25 a.m. about a car on fire in the Pointe-Aux-Praries nature park.

Firefighters discovered the body after putting out the flames.

"From what we know at this moment, the victim is a man, but an autopsy will be practiced on the body to confirm his identity," said SPVM spokesperson Mariane Allaire Morin.

Morin said the incident is being investigated as a homicide.

Police still don't have any suspects, but investigators recovered the license plate of the vehicle and are looking into whether the victim is the car's owner.

A segment of the park was closed off Sunday morning while police collected evidence.

THE RESULT OF ORGANIZED CRIME?

For now, the SPVM cannot confirm whether the death is linked to gang violence.

But according to criminologist Maria Mourani, this case has all the hallmarks of organized crime.

"It's really a signature typical of criminal groups," she told CTV News.

Mourani said it's also possible the murder is an imitation job to try and confuse investigators.

"It's an expeditious technique that permits, to a limit, to clean the scene of a crime."

With files from The Canadian Press.