A Saint John man who left his home at the height of Monday’s storm to go to a convenience store has been found dead.
Police say 46-year-old Glen Hutchinson was reported missing by his spouse around 6 p.m. Monday. They say Hutchinson left his home on foot headed for the convenience store, a distance of about one kilometer.
“They had a search team out looking for him and he didn’t quite make it back home,” says shopkeeper Bob Olsen.
Police launched an extensive search for Hutchinson, but failed to locate him Monday.
“They were using poles to check the snow drifts to make sure that the missing person hadn’t fallen down, or wasn’t buried by any snow in the area,” says Sgt. Chuck Breen of Saint John Police.
His body was found outside Friendly’s Convenience Store on Lancaster Avenue around 7 a.m. Tuesday.
“So a guy, he’s not a frequent customer but I know his face, he tried to get in but it was closed,” says store owner Matthew Cho.
Shopkeepers say this area of West Saint John tends to be one of the windiest locations in the entire city, and describe conditions on Monday evening as ‘dangerous.’
“I’ve been here seven years, worst cold, blizzard, I couldn’t see when I drive. I served the last customer around 2 p.m. and right after that, I shut down” says Cho.
Police say an autopsy will be conducted to determine a cause of death, but it is not considered suspicious. Results of the autopsy are expected within a few days.
With files from CTV Atlantic’s Mike Cameron.
