A dramatic manhunt ended in tragedy Tuesday (June 27) when an RCMP service dog discovered the body of a man in dense bush off Highway 99 following a serious vehicle accident.
The incident began at 2:30 p.m. the previous day (Monday, June 26) when RCMP received a call regarding an erratic driver causing a collision while speeding northbound on Highway 99 at Britannia Beach.
The 41-year-old Port Moody man driving a brown 1998 Ford Explorer was speeding and passing vehicles on the paved shoulder of Highway 99 when he collided with a cement guardrail. The collision caused him to sideswipe a 2003 Ford crew cab and flip his vehicle, which landed on its wheels. He continued to drive north through Britannia Beach but pulled over a few hundred metres away from the accident scene, jumped out of his vehicle and fled into nearby dense bush.
An RCMP helicopter and West Vancouver Police service dog were brought in to assist with a search of the suspect driver, and several hours later abandoned the search until the following day.
Meanwhile, Mountain FM issued warnings for highway drivers not to pick up hitchhikers and released a description of the man as six-feet-one-inch tall, 200 pounds, with a moustache and short brown hair.
Police contacted the suspect's family members who said he'd been missing since Monday (June 26). Family members were at a loss to explain the man's behaviour, according to Cpl. Dave Ritchie. The man was not a known drug user, nor was he known to RCMP.
At 2:40 p.m. on Tuesday, an RCMP service dog and his handler discovered the body of the driver in dense bush east of Highway 99 in the Britannia Beach area. It is unknown whether the driver became disoriented from injuries or died due to injuries sustained in the vehicle accident. There is currently no indication that alcohol or drugs were involved. The B.C. Coroners service and RCMP are continuing their investigation.
