Human remains in Quebec: an entrepreneur wants his shredder back

The entrepreneur whose machinery was seized in a murder investigation ultimately fears bankruptcy if he does not get it back.

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A body was found late Sunday afternoon near Saint-Augustin-de-Desmaures .

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The owner of a pruning company where human remains were recovered requests intervention from court to get his shredder back, otherwise he could face financial difficulties.

Samuel Gauvin found himself unwillingly at the heart of a sordid murder story for which he faces no charges.

On the other hand, during their investigation, the police seized his industrial shredder which would have been used to crush the body of the victim, Santiago Gaona.

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According to his Facebook profile, Santiago Gaona is of Colombian origin and was based in the Montreal area.

The remains of the victim were found in Quebec on September 17 very close to the limits of Saint-Augustin-de-Desmaures, on the land of the firm L'ABC de l' x27;arbre, which specializes in arboriculture.

The investigation made it possible to quickly arrest François Bouchard, Cassandra Major and Jean-Philippe Lamontage. They were first accused of indignity to a corpse, which was difficult to identify due to its condition.

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The accused, François Bouchard, Cassandra Major and Jean-Philippe Lamontagne.

A few days later, Bouchard was accused of the first degree murder of the young man 26 years old, while Lamontagne and Major were accused of having been accessories after the fact.

Santiago Gaona was allegedly killed in Contrecœur, in Montérégie. The indictment says the murder allegedly occurred between September 8 and 16.

Despite the arrests, the owner of the company where the remains of Santiago Gaona were found has still not been able to regain possession of its shredder. He therefore requests the intervention of the court.

In his motion, he argues that the shredder is essential to his work and that the activities of his business have been paralyzed since its seizure.

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Quebec police seized the shredder under a warrant for forensic purposes.

Deprived of his machinery worth nearly $100,000, Samuel Gauvin says he is unable to honor several pruning contracts, which is causing him heavy financial losses.

I am confident that the amounts will be recovered, he told Radio-Canada during a telephone interview. I continue to work with the insurance companies, says the owner of the company, assuring that other legal proceedings will follow for damages.

The plaintiff faces bankruptcy if his shredder remains in possession.

A quote from Excerpt from the owner's request

His request must be presented to a judge of the Court of Quebec next week.

< p class="StyledBodyHtmlParagraph-sc-48221190-4 hnvfyV">The three co-defendants from the Montreal region have all been detained since their arrest. On the other hand, Cassandra Major hopes to regain her freedom.

This 31-year-old woman filed a petition in Superior Court in hopes of leaving the detention center while awaiting his trial.

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Cassandra Major is accused of accessory after the fact to the murder of Santiago Gaona and indignity to his corpse.

Cassandra Major's request for release must be presented Friday at the Quebec courthouse.

The co-accused's case must return to court in two weeks for the prosecution to disclose new evidence to defense attorneys.

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