Sherwood Park student found dead in England
Police investigate on Jacob Wells Road in Bristol on Thursday.
Photograph by: This is Bristol , Edmonton Journal
EDMONTON - A young Edmonton-area student has been found dead at a recycling plant in England, and family back home are searching for answers.
Garrett Elsey, 22, had been in England for less than a day when his body was found.
“There are a lot of outstanding questions,” said his uncle, Brent Elsey, speaking from Garrett’s home in Sherwood Park.
Bristol police were called after a body was found at a recycling plant at about 10 a.m. Thursday. They searched nine different Dumpsters, then secured one of them as a crime scene near the university area.
Elsey said the family doesn’t know how Garrett’s body came to be in the Dumpster before it was picked up on the early morning rounds and transferred to the facility.
Garrett was a university student intending to earn a master’s degree in international security from the University of Bristol. He graduated from Ottawa’s Carleton University with a bachelor’s degree in political science and history.
He arrived in Bristol Wednesday, checked into his student residence and texted his parents to say all was well.
The airline lost his luggage, he told his parents, so he picked up some toiletries to carry him through. Then he went out for the evening with a friend he used to play rugby with in Canada.
“The friend is OK. Well, he’s devastated,” said Elsey. The two parted ways sometime in the evening, and Garrett never made it home.
Garrett’s parents were contacted Thursday. RCMP showed up at his father’s office and put him in touch with the Bristol police. They identified him with his passport, and the fingerprints he was required to give when he entered the country.
Elsey said police have witnesses and security tape, but are still trying to piece together what happened. An autopsy has not yet been completed to determine exactly what caused his death.
“It’s a university area. It’s not known to be a dangerous area,” said Elsey.
Garrett was scheduled to start class the next day.
Elsey said Garrett will be remember as an accomplished young man. “The accolades are pouring in,” he said.
Garrett played sports and studied well. “He’s done a lot of things in his short 22 years. He was hard working. When he set his mind to things, he was successful.”
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