Man found dead inside vehicle in Pickering was murdered, say police

Durham Regional Police say a man found deceased inside a vehicle in Pickering on April 30 was murdered.

Police in Durham Region now believe that a man who was found dead in the driver’s seat of an SUV in Pickering last week was murdered.

On April 30, officers from Durham Regional Police Service’s West Division were called to the area of Fairport and Third Concession roads for a well-being check.

There, they located a deceased male inside a vehicle.

The scene, which is located near the Cherrywood Transformer Station, was promptly secured, and the coroner’s office was notified and attended.

A post-mortem examination determined that the man’s death is the result of a homicide.

The victim, who has since been identified by police as 47-year-old Joshua Ibbitson of Markham, is Durham Region’s first murder victim of the year.

The homicide unit has now taken over the investigation and is urging anyone who was in the area or who may have witnessed suspicious activity between the evening of April 29 and the morning of April 30 to contact Det. Graham at 1-888-579-1520, ext. 5418, or Crime Stoppers anonymously.