Whitehorse RCMP Const. Elaine Maisonneuve was working the general duty beat on Dec. 27, 2004 when she stopped the patrol car in the Wolf Creek neighbourhood to look at some tire tracks.

Getting out of the car, she noticed a piece of fabric protruding from the snow. She then saw something bony and fleshy coming out above the snow, she told a 12-member Yukon Supreme Court jury Wednesday, the third day of the second-degree murder trial of Dean Boucher and Mark Lange.

The two are charged with the murder of former Caribou Hotel owner Robert Olson, who died between Dec. 23 and 24, 2004. The trial started Monday and is scheduled to last for three weeks.

Maisonneuve told the court that when she started her shift at 6 p.m. on Dec. 27, 2004, she was informed of a homicide investigation and that general duty officers like herself may be asked to help out.

At around 8:15 p.m., she and another officer were asked to gather up supplies for those officers in Wolf Creek working on the investigation.

They gathered up the flashlights requested and went to Tim Hortons to pick up some sandwiches for the officers who were around Langholtz Road at the time.

After dropping off the items, Maisonneuve and the other officer decided to patrol the Wolf Creek subdivision, in case their assistance was needed again, she told the court.

It was as they were driving down Dawson Road approaching Cronkite Road that she noticed the odd tire tracks. She decided to get out and investigate further and noticed the blue fabric in the ditch, she testified to the jury and Justice Leigh Gower.

The officers working on the homicide case were called, with she and the other officer being asked to guard the scene until the two-person forensic identification unit could arrive.

After members of the forensic identification unit came to the scene about an hour later and investigated, Maisonneuve helped with removing the body, which appeared to be a male, she said.

The body was still intact, she told the court, with the exception of his face, which appeared to have been scavenged by animals.

The fabric she had noticed was from his shirt.

Maisonneuve also recovered a pen from the site, which she brought back to the detachment. That ended her involvement with the case.

For RCMP Sgt. Allan Lane though, the case had only started.

A forensic identification specialist who's worked in the Yukon since 2003 and heads the unit, Lane has been called on to give expert evidence in B.C. and Yukon courts on numerous occasions.

On Dec. 27, 2004, he received a call from the other member in the forensic unit indicating he was needed.

Lane went to the detachment and was debriefed on the information available at that point.

After learning of the situation, he believed he would have to process four scenes, including Olson's vehicle, which was recovered near Langholtz Road earlier in the day, the area where the vehicle was found, the body recovery and the bar in the Caribou Hotel, which was owned by Olson.

At the body recovery scene, after working throughout the scene 'layer by layer,' the only object found was a pen sitting close to the body.

The body appeared to be a male wearing a shirt, pants and boot-style shoes with various portions of his face missing, Lane told the court.

The body was about 373 centimetres from the pavement of the roadway.

On the pickup truck, which was at the Whitehorse detachment, Lane performed fingerprint analysis and took an impression of the tread marks left on the brake pedal. There were also swabs taken on items in the truck like artwork and a peppermint Schnapps bottle. A swab was also saturated in the blood in the truck for further investigation, he said.

A fingerprint was found on one piece of artwork that matched that of Boucher, whose fingerprints were on file.

Lane was the photographer behind many of the photographs being used through the trial, including ones of the Caribou Hotel.

There were blood stains on the hardwood and carpet inside the bar, near the garbage can and along the door.

Lane also noted there were partial pieces of denture, a parka and blue jean jacket, a chair tipped over and a pool cue on the floor of the bar.

Earlier in the trial, the court heard then-Carcross RCMP Const. Jeffrey Kalles was the first officer called to the bar.

Prior to Maisoneuve and Lane testifying yesterday, Billy and John Smith, brothers and lifelong Carcross residents, said in separate testimony they were going to pick up the mail on Dec. 24, 2004 when they noticed the back door of the Caribou Hotel was open.

Knowing Olson normally kept the doors closed, they decided on their return to stop by the hotel and let Olson know about the back door.

The front door was also partially open.

'I knocked on it and it kind of swung open,' said Billy.

Olson didn't answer when he called out his name. When they looked inside the bar, which had been closed since early December, it was a mess, both testified.

A chair was upside down and there was blood on the floor, said Billy.

They then went up to assistant manager Herb Holstein's house to tell him what had happened and that he'd better call the police.

After he contacted the RCMP, the three walked down to the hotel.

'There was blood all over the floor,' Billy said about the bar when they came back.

The brothers waited in the lobby for Kalles to arrive. After Kalles did his initial look around the hotel, he told Holstein to lock up.

Both brothers said they hadn't been back to the bar since then.

Holstein also took the stand, recalling that he and Olson had talked the Thursday before Christmas in 2004. Holstein had worked at the bar for about five years.

'He was in a good mood, actually,' Holstein said.

He recalled the Smith brothers stopping by his place to let him know about the hotel being open.

When he arrived at the bar with the brothers, he first saw a big spot of blood 'all gelled up' on the bar's floor.

The site made him decide to step back and go through the inside entrance to the bar. While they waited for the RCMP to arrive, he checked the kitchen and upstairs as well.

'It just happened all in the bar,' he said.

Kalles found a steak knife under a piano stool in addition to the other situation.

Under cross-examination, Holstein recalled evidence showing that Kalles had seen Boucher earlier around the bar.

Holstein had told the officer Boucher had a lifetime ban from the bar for what was suspected to be theft.

While Boucher had also been involved in some physical altercations, he tended to take those outside the bar, said Holstein.

'I got to give him credit. He knew when to draw a line,' he testified.

Holstein also recalled Olson having 'drinks with the boys' and telling stories that he was a tough guy.

Knowing Olson fairly well though, Holstein knew the hotelier wasn't a violent person.

'He was happy-go-lucky, I would say,' he said.

In December 2004 though, Olson's drinking had become fairly serious, said Holstein.

'I think anyone could flag him down with a bottle,' he said.

Lane continued his testimony this morning.