Sooke RCMP say a man who went missing last week died in a targeted killing.
Michael Widner’s body was found on the Pacific Marine route near Port Renfrew Sunday. The Vancouver Island Integrated Major Crime Unit is investigating his death as a homicide.
“We wish to emphasize that this is not a random act and that there is no threat to public safety,” said Sooke RCMP Staff Sgt. Jeff McArthur.
Police believe Widner met someone at William Simmons Memorial Park, near Poirier Lake, on Otter Point Road sometime after 8 p.m. on March 8. His car was found at that location.
Widner’s mother reported him missing on March 9, when he didn’t drop by her place as expected.
An autopsy confirmed the body found near the road along the Pacific Marine route between Port Renfrew and Lake Cowichan was that of Widner.
Rick Ciarniello, a spokesman for the Hells Angels, told the Times Colonist that Widner was a prospect for the Nanaimo chapter of the biker gang.
Widner was the subject of a civil forfeiture case in 2012, a year after his vehicle was stopped by Sooke RCMP and he was found in possession of 25 grams of marijuana, $4,980 cash, a hunting knife and four cellphones.
According to court documents, the suit alleges that “major sources of income for Mr. Widner were obtained from the trafficking of controlled substances.”
Sooke RCMP confirmed Widner’s link to organized crime.
“We’re well aware of Widner and his involvement in organized crime and as a prospect for the Nanaimo Hells Angels. As a result, he had our attention here,” McArthur said.
McArthur said Hells Angels is not the only organized crime group operating in Sooke, but said it’s not a bigger problem there than any other community. “Where there’s a demand for drugs, there’s going to be organized crime,” he said.
Mounties conducted a check stop between 8 and 10 p.m. Wednesday.
“We were trying to get more general information from anyone who might travel that road at that time. And we did come up with some information. We’re still looking for more,” McArthur said.
Police ask anyone who might have information on persons or vehicles seen at the park or on the highway to contact the Vancouver Island Integrated Major Crime Unit information line at 250-380-6211 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
— With files from Katie DeRosa
