York police have laid second-degree murder charges after聽human remains discovered on Monday聽have been identified as a missing woman from Markham.
At about 5 p.m., the search and rescue team located human remains while doing a ground search in the area of in Kawartha, Ont. Police told the Star the remains were found inside a large green bin聽like the one a suspect was allegedly seen removing from the Markham office building where police say聽57-year-old聽Ying Zhang was attacked, brutally assaulted and abducted last Thursday.
The coroner has since identified the remains as Zhang’s.
Police have now upgraded the charges against 26-year-old Changlin Yang, from East Gwillimbury, Ont., to second-degree murder and indignity to a dead body.
Changlin Yang, 26, of East Gwillimbury, is charged with second-degree murder and indignity to a dead body.
Alexandra Newbould/Courtroom illustrationYang, wearing an orange jumpsuit, appeared in Newmarket court via video from the Central East Correctional Centre on Thursday. He was told not to communicate with multiple people associated with Zhang and was remanded into custody until his next hearing in three weeks.聽
Investigators originally released images of Yang and a white Ford van seen in the area of at the time of Zhang’s disappearance, which was 10:40 a.m. on July 25.
Forensic evidence was found by police, including some belongings of Zhang at the Holibalance Wellness Centre, which offers聽treatment via Chinese traditional medicine and acupuncture. Zhang worked at the wellness centre, which is located within an office building in the area of Woodbine Avenue and Steelcase Road.
Police told the Star forensic evidence showed that during Zhang鈥檚 abduction from her Markham workplace she 鈥渟uffered significant injuries鈥 that could have caused her death.
The office building near Woodbine Avenue and Steelcase Road in Markham where the abduction is believed to have taken place.
Omar Mosleh/海角社区官网StarYang was initially charged two days after Zhang’s disappearance with聽kidnapping, forcible confinement and aggravated assault.聽
Const. James Dickson told the Star on Tuesday that “the reason we were able to proceed with those charges immediately is because there was evidence on scene to suggest that Ms. Zhang was the victim of an assault.鈥
Investigators are still working to determine the connection between the suspect and the victim, Dickson said.
Working in an office down the hall from Holibalance Wellness Centre, lawyer John D. Simmons said he was in the office on Thursday but didn’t hear anything unusual.
Simmons said he would occasionally see Zhang but they didn’t speak because of a language barrier.
鈥淚 would say hi in the hallway back and forth, that was it. She was always in a bit of a hurry, but she was quiet,鈥 Simmons said.
He saw mostly women coming in and out of the wellness centre and that Zhang would sometimes have a group of women over for what he believed were lunch gatherings.
Simmons added that the incident is “off putting.”
This is an ongoing investigation and police are looking for additional witnesses who may have been in the area at the time.
Anyone with information has been asked to contact the York police’s homicide unit at 1-866-876-5423 ext. 7865.
With files from Jason Miller and Omar Mosleh
To join the conversation set a first and last name in your user profile.
Sign in or register for free to join the Conversation