Police rule C.B.S. death of Steven Miller, 25, a homicide
Police provide update about invasion and death in C.B.S, pleading for public help
The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary has ruled that Steven Miller, who was found dead on a quiet residential street in Conception Bay South on Saturday morning, was killed in a homicide.
Police gave an update into Miller's shocking death at a news conference on Tuesday afternoon, and while they will not be releasing the cause of death, they said it was "evident" that Miller had sustained multiple stab wounds.
The 25-year-old's blood-soaked body was discovered sprawled on a driveway a few kilometres away in the Bayview Heights neighbourhood of C.B.S. shortly after 8 a.m. Saturday.
Police say Miller was violently abducted from his Seal Cove home before 4 a.m. Saturday. Police believe three masked indviduals carrying firearms forced their way into the house during the pre-dawn hours and abducted Miller before setting his home on fire in what is believed to be a targeted attack.
The attackers are still at large, and police have described them as armed and dangerous.
The force said Tuesday that there was no connection between Miller and Bayview Heights, and said it appears the street was randomly selected.
Very little is known about Miller, but sources say he was originally from Mount Pearl, and worked for about four years, off and on, with an industrial services company in St. John's as a millwright.
RNC Supt. Jason Sheppard told reporters that police have identified some suspects in the killing of Miller, but said the force would not be releasing any more information about them.
Looking for videos, gas can and vehicles
Sheppard pleaded with the public to come forward with any information they have on the incident, and specifically asked residents to check any surveillance video they may have recorded at the crime scenes.
The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary has created a dedicated tip line for the case, and residents are asked to call 1-709-729-8800.
Sheppard said more than 50 officers are "directly involved" in the homicide investigation.
"Typically we don't come forward during homicides and serious events," said Sheppard. "But the investigative team has met, and we believe in this particular case, we need the assistance of the public."
"We're in a digital age, and it's a time when cell phones and businesses and homes have a lot of video, and I believe that there may be information out there that may be very important for us to recover."
They want anyone on Bayview Heights who may have recorded surveillance video, or have any information on suspicious activity between 4 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, to come forward.
They're also asking users of the Foxtrap Access Road for any information they have on a burnt-out 2005 gray Dodge Caravan: Police want to know when the van was observed in the area.
Police found that Dodge Caravan on Monday on the Foxtrap Access Road. They believe the vehicle was used in the crime.
The RNC is further asking all residents or businesses in C.B.S, Paradise and central St. John's for any information on the Dodge Caravan or a 2013 red two-door Honda Civic seen between Friday at 6 p.m. and Saturday at 6 a.m.
They are also looking for businesses that sold yellow fuel containers in the metro St. John's area in the days before Saturday, or anyone who may have had a yellow fuel container stolen during that time.
All of these items may be linked to the homicide: Police say there was a suspicious fire in the Roberts Heights area of Paradise at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, after Miller's body was found.
Police are also considering the possibility that another stabbing in Paradise may be linked to Saturday morning's shocking incident. The RNC say an unconscious man was found with multiple stab wounds just after 5 a.m. on Saturday near Trails End Drive in Paradise.
That man was taken to hospital, and remains in serious but stable condition.