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Homicide victim identified as Penticton man

Police are still remaining tight-lipped after officers were seen scouring the area in a grid search around a residence on Carmi Road.
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An RCMP officer holds up a piece of clothing found on one of the steps of a Carmi Road residence during a search around the building on the afternoon of Tuesday

A source who wishes to remain anonymous due to the nature of the RCMP investigation has confirmed that the body recovered by police late last week at a motel is Penticton resident Darren Leadbeater

Leadbeater was the father of young children and known in Penticton as a member of the men’s rec hockey league and ball hockey league.

Police are still remaining tight-lipped after officers were seen scouring the area in a grid search around a residence on Carmi Road Tuesday.

Seven police officers who said they were called in from out of town were sweeping  through the brush behind the residence, and four marked police vehicles as well as one unmarked surrounded the property.

From the south side of the building, officers moved towards the residence, checking under decks with large sticks and going through recycling and other containers before moving to the front and into the knee-length grass to the west. A large mobile command unit was also moved onto the property later in the day.

The officers had no comment as to the nature of the investigation. RCMP Cpl. Dave Tyreman said on Tuesday morning that he could not confirm whether the investigation at the Carmi residence has any relation to Penticton’s second murder of the year at the Golden Sands Resort Motel last week.

A passing neighbour told thePenticton Western News they saw police vehicles around the same property last week.

The police have yet to release any information on the shooting that took place at the motel on June 4, including the name of the male victim, however they declared the incident a homicide on Monday.

Police were seen sweeping the area around the hotel on Friday, checking a nearby field and dumpsters in the surrounding area.

Police tape and a tarp remain on the entrance to the suite at the Golden Sands Resort Motel on Tuesday, with a lone RCMP officer keeping an eye on the crime scene.

The Southeast Major Crime Unit and the General Investigative Unit of the RCMP have been called in to assist the Penticton unit with the investigation.

Police previously stated that they believe the suspected shooting was an isolated incident and assured the public they are not at risk.