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The remains of a 70-year-old man who died in a January arson fire were recovered last month, say police who are poised to charge the accused fire-starter with manslaughter.
The Jan. 25 overnight fire inside the suite of a barricaded man involved in a seven-hour standoff with police and caused the evacuation of the Queen Alexandra apartment, with a number of residents treated in hospital, but it was initially believed no one died.
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Police had attended an apartment building near 107 Street and 79 Avenue to assist provincial bailiffs in carrying out a court order against the man who had barricaded himself in his suite. While police were negotiating with him, a fire broke out in the suite and the building had to be evacuated.
The man was taken into custody at approximately 12:48 a.m. Jan. 26.
Edmonton Fire Rescue Services (EFRS) and EMS attended, and ETS buses were provided to shelter the evacuated residents.
Jason Zabos, 44, was subsequently charged with arson disregard for human life, mischief, obstruct peace officer and a breach of a court order, and was freed on a release order by a Justice of the Peace.
Missing person
But police say on April 10 they received a missing-person report seeking the whereabouts of Ricardo Olivares, 70.
Olivares’ family had not heard from him since Jan. 5, and reported him missing after discovering the apartment building where he lived had burned down, police said in a Friday afternoon news release.
On April 22 the city police missing persons unit, with assistance from EFRS and the canine unit, conducted a further search of the apartment building ruins and discovered Olivares’ remains.
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On April 24 the Edmonton medical examiner completed an autopsy and determined Olivares died as a result of smoke inhalation, the manner of death ruled homicide, police said.
Homicide charge
Police said Friday the accused arsonist was scheduled to attend court, where he was arrested in relation to Olivares’ death.
A charge of manslaughter and a second charge of arson disregard for human life are pending.
The Director of Law Enforcement (DLE) was notified at the time of the fire and again following the discovery of the death, and determined that the incident remains outside the scope of an Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) review. ASIRT investigates cases where people are seriously hurt or killed during interactions with police, as well as serious or sensitive allegations of police misconduct.
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