IIO Concludes Investigation into a Death in Mission (2021-108)
Case: 2021-108 Incident Date: March 21, 2020 Detachment: Mission Location: Mission Agency: RCMP Incident Classification: Death Case Status: Closed - Without Public ReportINFORMATION BULLETIN
Independent Investigations Office
For Immediate Release
Surrey, B.C. – The Chief Civilian Director (CCD) of the Independent Investigations Office (IIO) of BC has concluded an investigation into a death in Mission.
As indicated in the previous release, on March 21, 2020, a man was arrested and lodged in Mission RCMP cells at approximately 1:20 a.m. and was released at 10:30 a.m. the same day. Video evidence from the detachment recorded the man’s movements from the time he arrived at the detachment until his release, where he can be seen walking away from the area by himself.
The man was reported missing on March 27, 2020 and a review of available evidence confirms that a thorough search was undertaken, including area canvasses, patrols, missing person bulletins, and other related activities.
On April 6, 2021 human remains were found in a forested area near Hillcrest Avenue, approximately half a kilometre from the Mission RCMP detachment. On April 27, the remains were confirmed to belong to the same man who was released from RCMP custody on March 21.
The CCD has reviewed the evidence and determined that there was no connection between police and the man’s disappearance, and reasonable search efforts were undertaken by police to attempt to locate the man when he was reported missing. As a result, the IIO investigation is now concluded.
The BC Coroners Service is continuing its independent investigation into the man’s death.
Background
The IIO is the independent civilian oversight agency of the police in British Columbia. It investigates all officer-related incidents that result in serious harm or death, whether or not there is any allegation of wrongdoing.