After a month-and-a-half of wondering - two families now have an answer about their missing family members.
RCMP have confirmed that the remains of two people found near Ucluelet this month are those of men who disappeared May 16, Dan Archbald, 37, of Squamish and Ryan Daley, 43, of Jordan River. They were last seen at the Ucluelet Small Craft Harbour after returning from an eight week sailing trip to Panama. A surveillance camera captured their images as they left the dock.
“The Vancouver Island [Integrated] Major Crime Unit along with the assistance of B.C. Coroner’s Service can now confirm that the human remains for near Ucluelet earlier this month are those of Ryan Daley and Daniel Archbald,” said RCMP Corporal Tammy Douglas.
Their remains were found almost a month later by a woman walking her dog in an area near the Ucluelet junction.
Douglas said they are treating the men's disappearance and death as a homicide.
“Investigators are treating this as a homicide and not a random incident,” Douglas said. “Identifying Mr. Daley and Mr. Archbald is a significant step in this investigation and we can now focus our attention on answering the many questions surrounding the circumstances of their death and try to determine who is responsible for their deaths.”
Douglas said it is too early in the investigation to identify any suspects in the case, and ask anyone with information phone VIIMCU information line at 250-380-6211 or to report anonymously to phone Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
RCMP maintains there is no evidence of a link between their deaths and the disappearance of Ben Kilmer of Cobble Hill, who went missing the same day.