'A very gruesome discovery': Mechanic discovers body in vehicle at used car lot

Sargis Oushana knew something was wrong as soon as he got close to a vehicle on the Piccadilly Motors lot in London, Ont. Oushana is an apprentice mechanic and says his concerns started with a smell and then when he noticed a cluster of flies. He cracked the vehicle door open and confirmed his worst fear.

Sargis Oushana knew something was wrong as soon as he got close to a vehicle on the Piccadilly Motors lot in London, Ont.

"It's a very gruesome discovery,” he told CTV News London on Wednesday.

Oushana is an apprentice mechanic at the shop that maintains, repairs and sells vehicles. He says his concerns started with a smell and then when he noticed a cluster of flies. He cracked the door open and confirmed his worst fear, the discovery of a decaying body. Oushana says police were called immediately.

"It breaks my heart to see someone go out like that,” he says.

The discovery was made around 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Police were on the scene throughout the evening and say the death is not suspicious, but didn’t release a cause.

Piccadilly Motors owner Elyas Samano says he's been operating the business at York Street and Maitland Street since 1998, and there have always been issues with operating in a downtown location.

Social agencies like the Men's Mission and the Salvation Army Centre of Hope are not far from his business, but Samano says he noticed more issues arising with the addition of the safe consumption location half a block away.