Police: 8 Slain Men Knew Each Other

Men Found Stuffed Inside Abandoned Vehicles In Remote Area Near Canadian-U.S. Border

(AP)  Police investigating the deaths of eight men found stuffed inside abandoned vehicles in a remote wooded area near the U.S. border descended on a farmhouse a few miles down the road on Sunday, blocking traffic to and from the area.

Police refused to discuss what was happening beyond the roadblock, which was set up about three miles from where the bodies were found inside four vehicles deserted in a farmer's field Saturday morning. The farm in Shedden, Ontario, is about 90 miles northeast of Detroit.

"We're in the middle of an active investigation right now," said Ontario police Const. Dennis Harwood, refusing to reveal any more details.

The eight victims knew each other and were all from the Toronto area, said police, who characterized the deaths as homicides.

The bodies await autopsies. Ross Bingley of the Ontario Provincial Police declined to comment on the cause of death.

Police found the bodies after a call from the property owner, who is not considered a suspect. No details about the victims were released.

An aerial view late Saturday showed the vehicles parked within 200 yards of each other, with the bodies still inside.

A minivan was discovered in a field about 20 yards off a dirt road. About 100 yards away a tow truck was found parked on the shoulder with a small silver hooked to the back. The fourth car, its hatch open, was parked in a clearing about 100 yards along the dirt road.

Both the bodies and the vehicles were removed overnight.

Mary and Russell Steele, who own the property around which the cars were parked, told Global News that the vehicles were not there when they took the road home the night before.

They said they called police Saturday morning after looking inside one of the vehicles and not being able to see anything because of a blanket covering the back window.

"We didn't see anybody in them, so we just phoned the cops with the license plate numbers," Russell Steele said.

"The police opened the back and I could see forms," his wife said. "I couldn't tell, but immediately in my mind I thought, `These are bodies."'

The area has been home to several motorcycle clubs, including the Loners, the Bandidos and the Hell's Angels. It has witnessed several violent incidents, including the discoveries of two bodies dumped in county fields in separate incidents in 1994 and 1998.

Both were beaten to death. Neither murder has been solved.