Canadian police apologise for throwing away woman’s body after mistaking it for a mannequin

Authorities in Canada have apologised after they threw the burnt remains of a woman in a dumpster, apparently confusing it with a mannequin.

The heads of the police and fire departments in Sherbrooke, Quebec made the admission on Thursday in a press conference, local reports said.

Danny McConnell, the Sherbrooke police chief, said during the briefing that fire responders were alerted to a small fire close to a local factory.

“When they arrived, witnesses declared that someone had lit a silicone mannequin on fire,” Mr McConnell said, according to CBC.

Following a discussion, first responders reportedly made the decision to dispose of what they believed to be the mannequin in a dumpster at the Sherbrooke police service, which they said was inaccessible to the public.