An investigation is underway by the RCMP following the discovery of a deceased man in suspicious circumstances on Vancouver Island.
The body of Joseph Alexander Smith, a 42-year-old resident of Duncan, B.C., was found in a wooded area west of Lake Cowichan on May 14. The remote location is approximately an hour’s drive west of the South Island town.
Mushroom pickers came across the body and immediately alerted the Lake Cowichan RCMP. According to B.C. RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Alex Bérubé, preliminary evidence collected at the scene suggests the involvement of criminal activity.
The Vancouver Island Integrated Major Crime Unit (VIIMCU) has taken charge of the investigation, with support from specialized police units such as the RCMP forensic identification section and police service dogs.
Authorities are urging anyone with information regarding the circumstances surrounding Smith’s death, or individuals who may possess dashcam footage or other video recordings from the Ditidhat Main logging road and North Shore logging road areas on May 4, to contact the VIIMCU information line at 250-380-6211.
Prior to the discovery, the North Cowichan/Duncan RCMP had already been seeking Smith, who was reported missing after he was last seen in Duncan on May 2.
