The body of missing “Virgin River” actor Stewart McLean has been found, and his disappearance is now part of a homicide investigation, officials said.
Canada’s Integrated Homicide Investigation Team on Friday confirmed to People that McLean’s remains were uncovered in the Lions Bay area, where he lived.
Police said he was last seen at his residence on May 15 and reported missing on Monday.
“As the investigation continues to unfold, homicide investigators are working to collect and analyze evidence, review CCTV footage and conduct interviews to build a timeline of Mr. McLean’s activities prior to May 15, 2026,” IHIT Cpl. Esther Tupper said in a statement.
“We are pursuing all available leads as we work to find answers for the family, friends and loved ones of Mr. McLean,” Tupper continued, adding that authorities at this time believe his death to be an “isolated incident.”
Police said in a Thursday press release that authorities had “uncovered evidence that led investigators to believe Mr. McLean was victim of homicide.”
A homicide division took over the investigation on Wednesday and were working with a forensics team.
Few other details were provided, but the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation on Thursday reported that dozens of investigators were seen searching train tracks and waters near McLean’s house in the Brunswick Beach area.
McLean was 45 years old.
The Village of Lions Bay is roughly 50 miles north of the U.S. border.
His neighbors Russ and Dorothy Meiklejohn couldn’t imagine why anyone would bring harm to McLean in their small western Canadian community.
“As tiny as it is, he was a big part of it,” Dorothy told the CBC.
Lucas Talent, a Vancouver-based talent agency that represented McLean, shared a social media post in his honor on Friday.
“It is with great sadness that we say goodbye to our beloved client, Stew McLean,” the post reads.
“He was always such a pleasure to deal with — dedicated, professional, eager, and endlessly funny!” it continued. “Many casting directors have reached out to share their condolences with Stew’s family and with our agency, and every message says the same thing: what a truly great guy he was, and how deeply he will be missed.”
The actor has most recently appeared in an episode of the Netflix show, “Virgin River.” He also had a role in a second season episode of the Fox crime drama “Murder in a Small Town,” in the Paramount+ true crime series “Happy Face,” and the Lifetime TV movie “The Killer Inside: The Ruth Finley Story.” He additionally appeared in a 2016 episode of the CW’s “Arrow.”
