Mounties seek 2 persons of interest after sexual assault in Duncan
Mounties on Vancouver Island are appealing to the public for help finding two persons of interest in a sexual assault investigation.
The North Cowichan/Duncan RCMP say officers responded to the 200-block of the Trans-Canada Highway in Duncan around 7 p.m. on May 16 after a woman reported she was assaulted by a stranger while walking on a trail.
Police searched the area near McAdam Park, but were unable to find the man. The victim was taken to hospital for medical treatment.
After speaking with witnesses and examining video surveillance from the area, police are now looking for two persons of interest who were in the area at the time of the assault.
The first person of interest reportedly helped the victim get to a gas station to call for help following the assault.
He was wearing a black T-shirt and grey shorts, as shown in a photo released by the RCMP on Tuesday.
The first person of interest reportedly helped the victim get to a gas station to call for help following the assault. He was wearing a black T-shirt and grey shorts, as shown in a photo released by the RCMP on Tuesday. (RCMP)
The second person of interest was wearing a blue tank top and black shorts, and he appeared to be in the area before the victim was able to get help, police said.
The second person of interest was wearing a blue tank top and black shorts, and he appeared to be in the area before the victim was able to get help, police said. (RCMP)
"Every investigation is unique and we must take considerable care to gather evidence, work with victims and then provide accurate and current information to the public," Insp. Chris Bear, the officer in charge of the North Cowichan/Duncan RCMP, said in a statement Tuesday.
"Police believe these individuals may have crucial information to help advance this investigation."
Anyone with information about the assault or the persons of interest is asked to contact the North Cowichan/Duncan RCMP at 250-748-5522.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories

BREAKING House Speaker Anthony Rota resigns over Nazi veteran invite with 'profound regret'
Anthony Rota has resigned from his prestigious position as Speaker of the House of Commons over his invitation to, and the House's subsequent recognition of, a man who fought for a Nazi unit during the Second World War.
2 dead, 4 injured in helicopter crash near Prince George, B.C.
Two people have died and four others were injured after a helicopter crashed near Prince George, B.C., Tuesday morning.
NDP pressures Liberals to act on Nagorno-Karabakh crisis, impose sanctions
The federal New Democrats are calling on Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly to take action against Azerbaijan in light of escalating violence involving ethnic Armenians in its Nagorno-Karabakh region.
OPINION Tom Mulcair: Rota has done the right thing by resigning, but his good work should be acknowledged
Anthony Rota had no choice but to resign as House Speaker after he invited a Nazi veteran to Parliament. But, as former NDP leader Tom Mulcair writes in a column for CTVNews.ca, if history is going to retain the profound embarrassment caused by his mistake, it should also recognize the contributions Rota has made to democratic life.
The next tool in Canada's wildfire fight could be eyes in the sky watching around the clock
A joint initiative from three government agencies aims to monitor wildfires across Canada from space. Here's how they'll do it.
Nygard used secret bedroom in his company's Toronto HQ for sexual assaults: Crown
Former fashion mogul Peter Nygard had a private bedroom constructed within the walls of the Toronto headquarters of his fashion empire, where he sexually assaulted five women starting in the 1980s, prosecutors said in their opening statement in a Toronto courtroom Tuesday.
Here's how governments across Canada fared when it came to poverty in 2023: report
A new report from Food Banks Canada says governments across the country are not doing enough to address poverty.
Singapore blows up 100-kg Second World War bomb
Bomb disposal experts in Singapore successfully disposed of a 100-kilogram Second World War aerial bomb on Tuesday, police said, after evacuating more than 4,000 people living nearby.
Ontario businessman loses $38K in cheque-cashing scam
An Ontario businessman says he has to pay about $38,000 after he was the victim of a cheque-cashing scam and failed to immediately report the fraudulent activity to his bank. The businessman says that the reason for the delay is because he doesn't use online banking.