A 45-year-old man has been arrested and charged in the murder of Chilliwack father Michael Scullion, who vanished without warning almost six years ago.
The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team announced the breakthrough development Monday but provided few details about how Scullion may have died.
The 30-year-old’s body was never found.
“Our Cold Case investigators were able to obtain sufficient evidence to support that [Scullion] was no longer alive,” Sgt. Adam MacIntosh said in a statement.
“There was no other reasonable explanation for him being missing other than him being the victim of a homicide.”
Scullion was last seen in the early morning hours of April 10, 2008 outside the Harrison Crossroads Inn pub in Agassiz. He was reported missing after he failed to show up for work or to pick up his daughter.
Initial investigations by the RCMP and IHIT were unsuccessful but the case was picked by the IHIT Cold Case Team two years ago, leading to an arrest on Friday.
Scullion’s family released a statement thanking police for seeing the case through.
The deceased’s father, Lou Scullion, also thanked the “many people who have shown their love, support and understanding to help us deal with this horrible situation.”
The accused, Richard MacInness, is a resident of Rosedale, a farming community within Chilliwack. He is charged with second-degree murder and indignity to human remains.
MacInness is scheduled to make a first court appearance Monday in Chilliwack provincial court.
