Major crime unit investigating after missing Duncan man found dead

Joseph Alexander Smith was last seen in Duncan around 3:30 p.m. on May 2. (North Cowichan/Duncan RCMP)

The RCMP are investigating after a missing man was found dead under suspicious circumstances on Vancouver Island.

Police say the body of 42-year-old Joseph Alexander Smith, of Duncan, B.C., was located in a forested area west of Lake Cowichan on May 14.

Mounties say his body was found approximately an hour west of the South Island town in a remote area.

Mushroom pickers found his body and alerted the Lake Cowichan RCMP.

"Initial evidence gathered at the scene led investigators to believe criminality was involved," said B.C. RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Alex Bérubé in a release Tuesday.

The Vancouver Island Integrated Major Crime Unit (VIIMCU) is leading the investigation. Several specialized police units, including the RCMP forensic identification section and police service dogs, are also assisting.

Anyone with information on Smith's death, or who may have dashcam or other video of the Ditidhat Main logging road and North Shore logging road areas on May 4, is asked to call the VIIMCU information line at 250-380-6211.

Last week, the North Cowichan/Duncan RCMP said they were looking for Smith, who was last seen in Duncan on May 2.