Innisfail police are not commenting on a report that a man whose body was found in a burning truck predicted his death in an text to his girlfriend.
“We can’t comment on or divulge any leads that we might be working on,” Staff Sgt. Chris Matechuk of Innisfail RCMP said on Tuesday. Matechuk did say a team of investigators is looking at all available evidence to solve the homicide of Oleg Alex Cusnir.
The 27-year-old carpenter moved from Saskatchewan to Innisfail for work reasons last September. His body was found in a burning Ford F-350 truck found on a farm south of Hwy 590, on Range Road 273, on Thursday. Police ruled the death a homicide.
On Sunday, the Calgary Herald quoted Cusnir’s girlfriend’s father, Dale Roberts, as saying the young man texted his daughter before he died to say he loved her and that his life could end soon.
“‘I think I’m going to die.’ That’s what he texted,” said Roberts, whose daughter lives on a First Nation reserve in northern Saskatchewan.
Roberts told the Herald that he believes Cusnir fell in with a bad crowd, but had no further information, as Cusnir wouldn’t reveal anything about his situation to his daughter, in order to protect her.
“Obviously he was murdered for something (but) we don’t know the details of it.”
Police do not believe organized crime was involved in the homicide. Cusnir was only known to police in a minor way. “Some members have spoken to him in the past,” stated Matechuk.
The staff sargeant would not comment on the results of an autopsy done on Tuesday, or on mechanical tests done on the truck. But the RCMP did previously confirm that the time and cause of Cusnir’s death was known by investigators and was not related to the fire.
Police are not releasing any more information at this time.
Roberts considered Cusnir his son-in-law, and said he had a good character and lots of ambition, as he was trying to start his own company. The young man, who emigrated to Canada from Moldova as a child and who has family in Calgary, had dated Roberts’ daughter for two years.
His death came as a shock, in spite of the ominous text. “My daughter is still torn up about it. She’s still upset,” Roberts told the Herald.
Anyone with information that can assist this investigation is asked to all Innisfail RCMP at 403-227-3341 or 1-800-222-8477.