York Regional Police say they have charged a suspect with second-degree murder after the remains of a missing Markham woman were found 90 minutes north of the city.
Earlier this week, officers looking for 57-year-old Ying Zhang in the City of Kawartha Lakes found human remains in a garbage bin.
The coroner has since confirmed the remains as Zhang, police said in a news release Thursday.
Zhang was last spotted on the morning of July 25 in the Woodbine Avenue and Steelcase Road area. She worked at a wellness centre at a commercial plaza in the area and family reported her missing that evening when she didn’t return home from work, CTV News Toronto previously learned.
YRP said Thursday that Zhang was assaulted at her workplace before she disappeared.
“Evidence that we had from the initial scene was that our suspect had gone to her workplace. We do have evidence that an assault took place inside,” Const. James Dickson told CP24 in an interview.
A white van and a suspect with a green garbage bin on wheels were seen in the same area at the time of Zhang’s disappearance, police said. They also said there was information that the van travelled to the City of Kawartha Lakes that day, which led officers to search the area.
