Police officers at the scene in Ste Madeleine on Thursday.
POLICE believe they know the identity of the body found in Ste Madeleine on Thursday, with the head cut off.
Relatives of Davidson Charles Leben, of 66 St Croix Road, contacted police on Thursday night following media reports on the discovery at Stanleyville.
The body of 33-year-old Leben, which was in an advanced state of decomposition, was found with the head next to it.
The discovery was made at around 10 a.m. by Sgt Sankar and other Ste Madeleine police station officers responding to a tip off from an anonymous caller.
The area where the remains were found was surrounded by bushes and littered with garbage approximately 50 metres from a squatting settlement.
Police said the remains could have been there for at least for a week due to the state of decomposition.
The body was clad in a pair of blue coloured pants, dark coloured jersey. Leben was wearing similar clothing, relatives said.
Officers described the man as of African descent, slim build and approximately five feet six inches tall.
Leben, police said, was last seen by his family on April 20. His family made the missing persons’ report on April 27.
The remains were expected to be taken to the Forensic Sciences Centre, St James, on Friday where relatives of the missing man were expected to view them.
Police said that the relatives were expected to submit samples for DNA testing to prove the identity.