Murder charge laid after body found near Vancouver Island rest stop in 2017
More than six years after the body of a 72-year-old man was discovered near a highway rest stop on southern Vancouver Island, a Victoria man is facing charges of first-degree murder and indignity to human remains
Investigators believe Joseph "Bob" Gelineau killed Richard "Blair" Young, who went missing from Victoria in 2017.
Gelineau, who was born in 1953, was arrested Wednesday and remains in police custody pending a scheduled court appearance on April 3.
Young's family had not heard from him for over a week when he was reported missing to police on Feb. 14, 2017.
The Vancouver Island Integrated Major Crime Unit led the search for Young until March 2 of that year, when his body was discovered near the Arbutus rest stop on the Malahat highway.
Police have not indicated how Young died or if the two men knew each other.
"Further details about this investigation cannot be shared at this time as the matter is now before the courts," the Victoria Police Department said in a statement Wednesday evening.
In March 2019, investigators released video footage of the murder victim leaving his Victoria apartment on Feb. 8, 2017. In the video, Young is seen walking out of the North Park Manor seniors home wearing a light jacket despite the sub-zero temperatures and heavy snowfall outside.
"This leads investigators to believe that he did not expect to be spending time outdoors and he did not expect to be gone long," Insp. David Hall, the Island District RCMP's senior investigating officer, said at the time.
Human remains were found near the Arbutus rest stop on the Malahat highway on March 2, 2017. (CTV Vancouver Island)
By 2019, police had identified a number of persons of interest in the case. Investigators said Young did not have any apparent connection to criminality, but they didn't believe his murder was a "purely random act" either, they said.
Police also determined Young's bank and credit cards were charged more than $30,000 in fraudulent transactions on Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland, according to investigators.
Young served as a director on the board of his seniors residence. Fellow resident David Crane told CTV News on Thursday he was Young's neighbour for three years and remembers him as "a gem, one of the finest."
"Always there when you needed him," Crane added.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Breast cancer screening should start at age 40, Canadian Cancer Society says
The Canadian Cancer Society says all provinces and territories should lower the starting age for breast cancer screening to 40.
DEVELOPING Live updates as Stormy Daniels testifies at Trump hush money trial
Adult film star Stormy Daniels is on the stand a second time Thursday as former U.S. president Donald Trump’s hush money case continues in Manhattan. Follow live updates here.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Canadian-Israeli man shot dead in Egypt; claim links killing to Gaza
A Canadian man 'of Jewish Israeli descent' has been shot dead in the Egyptian city of Alexandria in a suspected criminal case, a security source said, while a previously unknown militant group said it carried out the attack in reaction to the war in Gaza.
Here are the ultraprocessed foods you most need to avoid, according to a 30-year study
Studies have shown that ultraprocessed foods can have a detrimental impact on health. But 30 years of research show they don’t all have the same impact.
Ontario man frustrated after $3,500 paving job leaves driveway in shambles
An Ontario man considering having his driveway paved received a quote from a company for $7,000, but then, another paver in the neighbourhood knocked on his door and offered half that rate.
Why these immigrants to Canada say they're thinking about leaving, or have already moved on
For some immigrants, their dreams of permanently settling in Canada have taken an unexpected twist.
Bank of Canada says financial system is stable, but risks remain
The Bank of Canada says the Canadian financial system is stable, but risks remain due to debt servicing costs among households and businesses and stretched valuations of financial assets.
BREAKING Sheldon Keefe out as head coach of Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs have fired head coach Sheldon Keefe. The team made the announcement Thursday after the Original Six franchise lost to the Boston Bruins in seven games in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.