Williams Lake RCMP say body found near where man went missing
Credit to Author: Scott Brown| Date: Thu, 29 Aug 2019 19:05:55 +0000
Williams Lake RCMP and the B.C. Coroners’ Service are reviewing all missing persons’ files in an effort to identify a body pulled from the Fraser River near Sheep Creek Bridge on Wednesday.
Police had been searching the area since Aug. 9 when Branton Regner went missing after an incident at the Rudy Johnson Bridge, about 22 kilometres north of Williams Lake.
The RCMP have not detailed what exactly happened at the Rudy Johnson Bridge, but two men, Jayson Gilbert, 25, and Michael Drynock, 23, have been charged with attempted murder and kidnapping in connection with incidents that occurred that day.
The human remains were spotted by a fisherman on Wednesday morning.
“We are aware of the most recent missing person investigation and the charges that have been laid and we are exhausting all possibilities to determine if there is any connection with these investigations,” said Williams Lake RCMP Insp. Jeff Pelley.
The Sheep Creek Bridge is located about 50 kilometres south of the Rudy Johnson Bridge.
Police have suggested that Regner’s disappearance may be linked to the Aug. 6 murder of a 43-year-old Williams Lake man who was gunned down in his own driveway.
The murder victim was identified by the Williams Lake Tribune as Richard Irvine James Duncan Jr.
Duncan, who was known by the nickname “savage,” had a lengthy criminal record that included multiple convictions for drug trafficking and weapons offences.