Collingwood and the Blue Mountains OPP have charged a man with second-degree murder following a collision.
Police say, on January 26th, sometime before 5:55 a.m., a grey-coloured Mitsubishi Outlander sport utility vehicle was traveling northbound on Arrowhead Road, just south of Highway 26 when it left the road. It continued down an embankment, came to a stop and caught fire. A deceased person was located inside the vehicle.
The deceased has been identified as Ashley Schwalm, age 40, of Collingwood.
As a result of the investigation, on February 2nd, James Schwalm, age 38 of Collingwood, was arrested and charged contrary to the Criminal Code with:
Second Degree Murder, Section 235(1)
Indignity to a Dead Body, Section 182(b)
The accused was held for a bail hearing.
OPP say the investigation by the Collingwood OPP Crime Unit, under the direction of the OPP Criminal Investigation Branch, is ongoing with the assistance of the Office of the Fire Marshal, Ontario Forensic Pathology Services, Office of the Chief Coroner for Ontario, OPP Forensic Identification Services, OPP Regional Support Team, OPP Technical Collision Investigators and Reconstructionists, and the OPP Emergency Response Team (ERT).
Anyone with any information is asked to contact the Collingwood OPP at 705-445-4321 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or ontariocrimestoppers.ca.
