An RCMP vehicle sits outside a crime scene in Prince George, B.C.
Neighbours on a quiet street in Prince George were surprised when a small house where an elderly woman reportedly lived with her grandchildren became a crime scene, as police began a grisly murder investigation.
"We were quite shocked," said Joyce Bickford, who lives a few doors down from the bungalow on Douglas Street, where Sally Adolph has lived for many years.
"It's a quiet house … we haven't been aware of any problems there," she said. "My husband walked through the kitchen and said, 'They are taping up that house' and I looked out and saw the police cars."
That was last Friday. On Wednesday, the neighbours got another shock when police announced that Gordon Adolph Jr. was one of three young men charged with second-degree murder.
Two of them, Mr. Adolph, 23, and an unnamed male under the age of 18, have also been charged with indignity to human remains. The third accused is Christopher Flanagan, 24.
The victim, whose body was damaged or destroyed, the police say, in ways that they are not prepared to describe, has only been identified as "an adult male," pending positive identification through an autopsy.
"We have a pretty good idea [who the victim is], but we can't conclusively say at this time," said Corporal Craig Douglass. "We don't have the usual means of identifying, so we are having to look at other means.
"Certainly there were things done to the body that complicate the investigation. That's as far as I can go. … Forensically, we can establish that it's certainly not a child. And we can confirm it's a male," he said.
Cpl. Douglass said Mr. Adolph was known to police prior to last week, but the other accused were not.
He declined to discuss a possible motive for the crime, but did say the neighbourhood is not in a high crime area.
"I wouldn't classify it as a bad neighbourhood," said Cpl. Douglas of the street, which is lined with small, Second World War-era houses.
John Abbott, who lives on Douglas Street, said he didn't know the Adolph family, but believes Mr. Adolph is Ms. Adolph's grandson.
"I saw him growing up," he said. "Sally has been there for years. She's pretty much raised all her grandkids there."
He said the family was "very quiet" and he wasn't aware of any problems at the house before the sudden arrival of police cars last Friday afternoon.
Ms. Adolph couldn't be reached for comment.
On a website profile of a 23-year-old Prince George resident who identifies himself as Gordon Adolph, the man says that he plays guitar and "i love to drink."
He lists his interests as "partying, hanging out with friends" and listening to bands such as Avenged Sevenfold, Megadeth, Judas Priest and Slayer.
Mark Hume