FOG BLOG CANADA LOG: RCMP FIND 4 INDIAN NATIONALS DEAD AT CAN- U.S. BORDER, MAYBE HUMAN TRAFFICKING:

Family of four found frozen to death near Canada-U.S. border identified; RCMP investigation continues.......Four people who froze to death while trying to cross the Canada-U.S. border in Manitoba have been identified.

According to a release from the High Commission of India, later confirmed by RCMP on Thursday, the four people have been identified as Jagdish Baldevbhai Patel, a 39-year-old man, Vaishaliben Jagdishkumar Patel, a 37-year-old woman, Vihangi Jagdishkumar Patel, an 11-year-old girl, and Dharmik Jagdishkumar Patel, a three-year-old boy.

The release said the four people were all Indian nationals, adding their next of kin have been notified.

RCMP Chief Superintendent Rob Hill offered an apology for originally identifying the 11-year-old as a male teen....."Please understand that the frozen state in which the bodies were found and the clothing made by the family made the initial identification difficult. It is also why the process to confirm the names took an extended period of time," said Hill.

Hill said the family of four arrived in Toronto on Jan. 12 and travelled to Emerson, Man. on Jan. 18.

"The Consulate General of India in Toronto is in touch with the family of the deceased and is providing all consular support," the release reads.

The release said, following a medical examination, Canadian authorities have determined all the deaths to be consistent with exposure to outdoor elements.

It said a special team led by a senior consular officer from the Consulate General of India in Toronto is currently in Manitoba helping with the investigation.

"There was no abandoned vehicle on the Canadian side of the border. This clearly indicates that someone drove the family to the border and then left the scene," said Hill.

Hill noted this was a long period of time to travel across the country, especially for a family unfamiliar with Canada.