Police have confirmed that the body found in Alouette Lake in Golden Ears Provincial Park on Saturday was that of a 39-year-old man who had been missing since early New Year’s Day.
Ridge Meadows RCMP have not released the man’s name, but family members told CTV News they’re mourning Wade Bathurst, a Pitt Meadows resident and the father of a 14-year-old son.
Officials say the man left the Gold Creek Campground at about 2:30 a.m. and told his family he was going to make a phone call and set off fireworks down on the beach.
He did not return. More than 30 search and rescue workers -- from as far away as the Fraser Valley -- were called Friday afternoon and searched late into the night, unable to find the victim.
The search resumed Saturday morning, and crews located the man’s body roughly 200 metres offshore, according to Ridge Meadows Search and Rescue.
They also located fireworks, unused, on the beach.
“They were of the same brand that he had taken, but obviously we can’t confirm whether they were his or not,” said Rick Laing, manager of Ridge Meadows Search and Rescue.
The body was found fully clothed, with no signs that he met with foul play.
The B.C. Coroner’s Office has been called in to determine the cause of the man’s death.
With files from CTV Vancouver’s Tom Popyk
