A 26-year-old man is facing charges of second-degree murder and indignity to a dead body after the coroner’s office confirmed that human remains found during a search in Kawartha Lakes this week were those of missing Markham woman Ying Zhang.
In a news release Thursday, York Regional Police said East Gwillimbury man Changlin Yang is now facing upgraded charges. He was initially facing charges of kidnapping, forcible confinement and aggravated assault.
Zhang’s body was found on Monday in the Village of Kirkfield, roughly 140 kilometres northeast of Toronto, police said. Investigators said Wednesday they were waiting for the coroner to confirm her identity.
The discovery was made during a ground search on Monday around 5 p.m., police said, in the area of Palestine Road and Fenel Road. Investigators say the remains were found near a roadway.
Zhang, 57, was last seen on July 25 around 10:40 a.m. at a wellness centre in the area of Woodbine Avenue and Steelcase Road in Markham. Her family reported her disappearance that evening after she failed to return home from work, police said.
Police are asking anyone who was in the area at the time Zhang was last seen, or who may have seen a white Ford van that the accused is alleged to have driven, to contact investigators.
The accused is set to appear at a virtual court hearing Thursday afternoon.
Source Agencies
