Identities of bodies found near Canada-U.S. border confirmed by High Commission of India

While Manitoba RCMP initially identified the people as a man, woman, teenage boy and infant, the High Commission said in a news release on Thursday the children who died were actually a girl and a toddler.

The four were Jagdish Baldevbhai Patel, a 39-year-old man, Vaishaliben Jagdishkumar Patel, a 37-year-old woman, Vihangi Jagdishkumar Patel, an 11-year-old girl, and Dharmik Jagdishkumar Patel, a three-year-old boy, a news release said.

Autopsies of the four, which RCMP said started Wednesday, determined the deaths were consistent with exposure to the outdoor elements based on the circumstances involved, the release said.

The Consulate General of India in Toronto has been in touch with the victims’ family and is providing support.

The High Commission of India in Ottawa and the country’s consulate in Toronto continue to work closely with authorities in Canada on the investigation, the release said.

A special team led by a senior consular officer from the consulate is in Manitoba to help those investigations and offer consular services for victims.

Canada is a preferred destination for Indian immigrants and students, the news release said, and the two countries work together to ensure the safety and well-being of Indian immigrants in Canada.