British Columbia investigates actor Stewart McLean's death as homicide
Stewart McLean was reported missing after May 15, then found dead in Lions Bay as investigators shifted the case to homicide within days.
The remains of actor Stewart McLean, whose screen credits stretched from Virgin River to Supernatural, were found in Lions Bay and British Columbia investigators are now treating his death as a homicide. The case has moved from a missing-person search to a criminal investigation in a matter of days.
Squamish RCMP were first notified on May 18 that McLean, 45, had not been seen since May 15. He was last seen at his residence in Lions Bay, a coastal community about 20 kilometres northwest of Vancouver, and police initially asked the public for help finding him before the file was transferred to the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team.
By Friday, IHIT said McLean’s remains had been discovered in Lions Bay. Officials did not say exactly when the remains were found, what evidence changed the investigation, or whether any suspect had been identified. Investigators said they believe the death was an isolated incident, while the British Columbia Coroners Service continues to determine the cause of death.
The rapid shift has drawn attention well beyond the Sea-to-Sky region because McLean was a familiar name in British Columbia production circles. His credits included Virgin River, Arrow, The Irrational, Supernatural, Blue Steele, Travelers, Beyond, The 100, Siren, Murder in a Small Town and Cloud Van Tales. One report said he appeared as a barfly in a single episode of Virgin River season 7, which premiered in March 2026.
People who worked around McLean have been left trying to make sense of how quickly the situation changed. Global News reported that local film-industry colleagues were reacting publicly and processing the loss, while actor and acting coach Jeff Seymour said McLean failed to show up for a scheduled day of filming before the case escalated.
Investigators are now building McLean’s timeline before May 15, using physical evidence, CCTV footage and interviews. For a case that started with a simple missing-person notice, the unanswered questions are now focused on those final hours in Lions Bay, where a familiar TV face vanished before the homicide probe began.
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