Mystery over man's body found in wall behind women's toilet in shopping centre

Investigators examining whether man got stuck as he crawled through ventilation system

The remains were found by a maintenance worker who was called in to fix a toilet that would not flush in the women's bathrooms in The Core Shopping Centre. (Daniel/Wikimedia Commons)

A man's body was discovered inside a wall behind a toilet in a Calgary shopping centre, Canadian police have said.

However, investigators do not he was murdered.

The remains were found by a maintenance worker who was called in to fix a toilet in The Core Shopping Centre's women's bathrooms, when it would not flush.

“If you were to look at the toilet, there’s a panel behind it so that when people move it would automatically flush,” police spokeswoman Emma Poole told local media.

When they removed the panel, they found the dead body behind the wall, she added. It is yet to be identified.

“Despite the circumstances of where the body was located, investigators do not suspect foul play and the death remains classified as undetermined," Calgardy Police Department said in a statement on its Facebook page.

Calgary's fire department was called to help remove the body, the statement added.

Ms Poole said it was possible someone crawling through a vent or duct above the wall fell and got stuck in the cavity.

“That is obviously something they would be looking at is someone crawling through the ventilation system," she said.