Suspicious death investigation underway after body found near Barrie’s downtown

Police discovered a body on Collier Street in downtown Barrie on Thursday morning. (Barrie Police)

The discovery of a body in downtown Barrie has triggered a suspicious death investigation, police say.

Officers responded to a call of a man found not breathing in an alleyway of a building on Collier Street, just after 9 a.m. on Thursday morning.

Police arrived to the area of Worsley and Poyntz streets and discovered the body of a 64-year-old. He was transported to a local hospital by emergency services, where he was pronounced dead.

Investigators say the man appeared to have injuries that are consistent with a fall.

Barrie Police Staff Sgt. Rob Gravel tells CTV News the man was visiting a friend at the complex at the time, but police are still looking to speak with that individual.

“Anytime we have a sudden death investigation where we don’t have all the answers, where all the pieces don’t quite fit together, we’re still trying to answer and piece together some of those parts of the puzzle,” said Gravel. “Until we get those answers, we deem it suspicious at this point.”

Officers remain in the area Thursday, canvassing for video footage and further information.

A post-mortem examination has been scheduled for Friday in Toronto.

“I think we’ll have more answers to that question once we get the results from the post-mortem and once we speak to the witness that we’re looking for,” said Gravel. “We’ve spoken to numerous witnesses at the scene”

Police say the investigation remains ongoing at this time.