After two men were tragically found dead on Sunday, RCMP are doubling down on their efforts to find their third companion.
The bodies of two of the three young men who were missing in Sooke since Friday evening have been found by Juan de Fuca Search and Rescue on Sunday afternoon, but the third man remains unaccounted for.
According to RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Chris Manseau, police and search and rescue are continuing to scour the area on Monday to find the third man.
They will be deploying the RCMP underwater recovery team to assist in the search.
See also: RCMP locate bodies of two men believed to be missing in Sooke
“There is nothing to indicate anything suspicious at this time,” Cpl. Manseau says, speaking of the deceased men.
Cory Mills, Eric Blackmore, and A.J. Jensen were last reported going off-roading on Friday night in the Sooke/Cowichan/Renfrew area.
Friends and family were concerned for the boys’ safety as they say the three 20 year-olds had not made contact with anyone since approximately 11 p.m. that night.
The three were travelling together in a blue Dodge Dakota with the license plate NY9677 – which was located in 3000-block of Sooke River Road early Sunday afternoon. However the vehicle was unoccupied.
Members of Juan de Fuca Search and Rescue, along with family, friends and volunteers in the area spent Sunday searching for the trio.
A short time later, RCMP announced that they found two bodies believed to be that of two of the missing men, but the identities had not yet been officially confirmed.
After this announcement, those closest to the men were seen gathering around the Sooke RCMP detachment around 4 p.m. Sunday afternoon.
“BC Coroners Service is in the early stages of its fact-finding investigation to determine how, where, when and by what means two males in their early 20s came to their unexpected deaths,” said Andy Watson, spokesperson for the BC Coroners Service, in an email to Victoria Buzz on Monday.
Family friends have launched a GoFundMe account to assist with the costs to come for the families of the men.
They aim to raise $15,000 and, as of the time of publication, have collected approximately $4,800.
With files from Seanna Wainman.
