Police say a man’s death in Castlegar last week is now being treated as a homicide.
They have identified the victim as Jean-Luc Noel Levesque, 51. He had no fixed address but was known to travel between a number of communities in the area, police said.
They have not established a motive, they added.
The RCMP major crime units are now investigating the death, which police previously classified as “suspicious.”
Police say that around 11:30 p.m. on Thursday they responded to a call of an unresponsive man near the CIBC at 1801 Columbia Avenue.
“Mr. Levesque was not a known resident of Castlegar, and as we work to determine what brought him to the area, we believe there are people who may have seen the victim or interacted with him prior to his death,” RCMP spokesperson Dawn Roberts said in a news release.
“We are asking those people – as well as anyone who may have any info about this homicide – to please call police. This is a tragedy and we want to bring closure to Mr. Levesque’s friends and family.”
Anyone who may have seen something or has information on this incident is asked to call RCMP at 250-365-7721.