CALGARY—A headless body wrapped up and dumped in a culvert just east of Calgary is likely a savage attempt to cover up the identity of both the dead man and his killer.

Mounties are asking for the public’s help to identify the homicide victim, a man they say was aged 25 and 55.

The back of the corpse’s right hand was mutilated, leading investigators to believe was an attempt to destroy an identifying tattoo or scar.

Attempts to identify the man through fingerprints have failed because they did not match anything on file, police say.

The victim’s head has not been recovered, depriving investigators of the opportunity to identify the man through dental records.

“There was a high level of physical violence to this individual,” said RCMP spokesman Sgt. Patrick Webb.

“There was a lot of damage to the remains.”

A pair of all-terrain-vehicle riders made the gruesome discovery in Chestermere, Alta., on Feb. 18 as they passed by a canal.

Police are now saying the frozen remains were left at the scene up to a week before they were found.

Calls from the public have poured in from people looking for missing loved ones, Webb said.

Investigators are combing through missing-persons reports throughout the province, looking for a match.

Police are using DNA to determine the victim’s race, and are not releasing the cause of death or other details. They would not say if the murder was connected to outlaw motorcycle gangs.

Beheading and mutilation is rare, but consistent with the work of organized criminals trying to obscure their victims’ identities, says a criminologist.

“This could have been a person with tattooing marks on his face or hands who is part of an organized criminal activity in which these marks could identify a gang, as well as the victim,” said Mount Royal College criminal justice studies teacher Janne Holmgren.

“In forensic profiling, we know that females are usually murdered and dismembered for sexual gratification, whereas males are usually dismembered to hide evidence,” she said.

“Usually males, if the homicide is not sexually motivated, are killed over drugs and money.”

Most male victims typically know their killers in those cases, she said.

Decapitations are rare. Sources said Calgary murder victim Wendy Hewko was found without a head or hands.

Her remains were found on Aug. 1, 2007. Her death is unsolved.

A tattoo on the back of murder victim Yonas Amahazion helped police learn his identity. Amahazion’s body was found partially burned in a dumpster in January 2007. Two men are charged in his death.

The dismembered arms of Chad Largy, found by a bottle picker on Jan. 20, 2006, gave police enough clues to identify him.

Police have said the remains found near Chestermere do not belong to missing Calgary bartender Brad Worobeck, who has not been seen since Jan. 18.

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