A homicide investigation is underway in British Columbia following the discovery of Stewart McLean’s remains in Lions Bay, authorities announced Friday, May 22, 2026. McLean, 45, was a Canadian actor with more than three decades of television credits, including appearances on Netflix’s “Virgin River.”
The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team revealed that McLean’s body was found in the small coastal community, located roughly 12 miles northwest of Vancouver. Authorities have not disclosed when exactly the remains were discovered, and no suspect, motive or cause of death has been identified. The B.C. Coroners Service is working to determine how he died.
A Three-Decade Career on Canadian Sets
McLean, who often went by Stew, was born in Edmonton and built his career as a reliable working actor in the Vancouver-centered Canadian production industry. He accumulated more than 30 credits across television and film and was also listed on IMDb as a producer.
His most recent on-screen appearance was in an episode of Netflix’s “Virgin River,” the long-running romance series shot in British Columbia. He was best known for his roles on Freeform’s “Beyond” and the Netflix series “Travelers,” frequently credited as “Traveler” on industry listings. Other credits included The CW’s “Arrow,” the ABC crime drama “Murder in a Small Town,” the Paramount+ true crime series “Happy Face,” and the Lifetime TV movie “The Killer Inside: The Ruth Finley Story.”
Lucas Talent Inc., the agency that represented him, posted a tribute remembering McLean as dedicated, professional, eager, and endlessly funny. Agent Jodi Caplan, who had represented him for more than a decade, said the response from the industry has been overwhelming.
Friends Sensed Something Was Wrong
Acting coach Jeff Seymour, a friend of McLean’s for eight years, told The Canadian Press he grew alarmed when McLean failed to show up to a scheduled shoot the day after he was last seen.
He was meticulous about everything, and there would be no chance he blew it off or slept too late, Seymour said. As soon as he heard McLean didn’t make it on the morning in question, he knew there was trouble.
McLean was last seen on May 15 at his home in Lions Bay. When he didn’t show up for a scheduled day of filming on May 16, the people who knew him best say they suspected immediately that something had gone wrong.
A Disappearance That Raised Alarms
The Squamish division of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police received the missing person report on a day early in the investigation. Soon after, officers were publicly urging anyone with information to come forward, saying they were very concerned for McLean’s health and well-being.
The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team confirmed it began investigating McLean’s death within days, and the Squamish RCMP formally transferred the case to the homicide team. The handoff signaled that what officers had uncovered during the initial search was no longer consistent with a simple missing person inquiry. The tone of the investigation shifted within 48 hours.
Squamish RCMP initiated an investigation and, through investigative efforts, uncovered evidence that led investigators to believe McLean was a victim of homicide, police said in a statement, declining to describe the nature of that evidence.
IHIT has characterized the killing as an isolated incident, language typically used to reassure the public that investigators do not believe a wider threat exists. The agency is working alongside the Integrated Forensic Identification Service on the case.
Building a Timeline From CCTV and Interviews
According to IHIT Cpl. Esther Tupper, investigators are reviewing CCTV footage, examining physical evidence, and conducting interviews to reconstruct his activities in the hours and days before May 15.
We are pursuing all available leads as we work to find answers for the family, friends and loved ones of McLean, Tupper said. IHIT has asked anyone with information to contact its tip line.
Lions Bay, perched along the Sea-to-Sky Highway between Vancouver and Whistler, is a community of fewer than 1,500 residents. Violent crime in the village is exceedingly rare, which has only intensified attention on the case.
What began as a missing person case has now become one of the most closely watched homicide investigations in the province. For now, investigators have offered few specifics, and the people closest to McLean are left with the same questions as the public. The homicide investigation remains active, and IHIT is continuing to gather evidence and interviews as it works to establish what happened in the days surrounding May 15.
