The body of a Sooke man was recovered from the Sooke River on Tuesday afternoon, days after he and two other friends were swept away by a torrent of water while in a pickup truck.
The bodies of the two other men were found Sunday.
“Our focus is now on the family, and trying to provide them with some answers,” Sooke RCMP Cpl. Joe Holmes said at a hastily called press conference.
Cory Mills, Eric Blackmore and Anthony (A.J.) Jensen were last seen alive around 11 p.m. Friday, leaving a home on Otter Point Road in a blue pickup truck.
The trio was reported missing Saturday.
Police aren’t sure how the truck ended up in the river. The truck was travelling on Sooke River Road, which runs parallel to the river, near the Sooke Potholes.
The road where the trio disappeared was covered in fast-moving water Friday night, Holmes said.
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Juan de Fuca Search and Rescue manager Kathryn Farr said the Sooke River rose about six metres on Friday night.
“I’ve been told that’s the highest that the river has been in about 25 years,” Farr said.
The search involved search and rescue teams from Juan de Fuca, Ladysmith, Cowichan, Metchosin and Peninsula, along with the RCMP. The B.C. Coroners Service is helping with the investigation.
“What happened here today is very, very tragic. We’re glad that we found him, and the family can now move on,” Farr said.
– with files from Black Press
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