Guelph police have discovered what they believe are the remains of the owner of a bed and breakfast in a fire pit outside her historic residence and have charged her son with murder.
Shirley McColeman, 67, was reported missing on Friday. After interviewing family members, police searched the property and found the human remains.
A source indicated the remains were burned, although could not confirm the level of damage done to the body.
The remains are being sent to the chief coroner's office in Toronto for identification.
Ms. McColeman's son, Alan, 41, is being held at Maplehurst Detention Centre in Milton and is scheduled to appear in court for a bail hearing today, The Canadian Press reported.
Ms. McColeman owned and ran the Elm Park Bed and Breakfast, a 19th-century stone farmhouse located southwest of the city's downtown off the Hanlon Expressway. The B&B was recognized as a heritage site by the city of Guelph.
News of the discovery has stunned the city's bed-and-breakfast community, whose members described Ms. McColeman as soft-spoken, kind and professional.
"It's a dreadful shock," said Melanie McLennan, owner of nearby London House Bed and Breakfast.
Mrs. McLennan said the incident was "something that belongs in the movies."
Fellow bed and breakfast owner Anne Israel described Ms. McColeman as someone who was generous to her guests.
"She ran a good business," she said.
"Her customers really appreciated her."
Andrew Thompson, president of the Guelph Historical Society, said Ms. McColeman volunteered to set up food and refreshments at the organization's meetings.
"The thing about Shirley was, the job was always done incredibly effectively," he said.
Mrs. McLennan said she had already made space in her own house for two people scheduled to stay at Elm Park, and that other bed and breakfasts had arranged to take in other guests left in need of accommodation by the ongoing investigation.
"We will do our very best to help people," she said. "In some ways, these things have a way of pulling a community together."