Nathan Townsend (left), Sean Scurt, Darian Rohel, Jayden Eustache and John Daviss face charges of second-degree murder in the 2018 homicide of Troy Gold.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED / RCMP
October 19, 2019 - 3:10 PM
More than one year after the disappearance of Troy Gold was determined a homicide, five men have been arrested and charged in connection to his death.
Gold, reported missing to the RCMP on Oct. 3, 2018, was considered a "high risk missing person because of his affiliation with organized crime." On Oct. 10, the Kamloops Serious Crime Unit determined that Gold had been murdered. His body was found in the Lac du Bois area on Oct. 30.
Nathan Anthony Townsend, 23, Jayden Michael Eustache, 24, Darian Fredrick Rohel, 44, John Wade Daviss, 38, and Sean Gavril Scurt, 46, all face second-degree murder charges. All five men were arrested on Oct. 18 and 19 and remain in custody. They are all known to police for their connection to the local drug scene.
"Crimes that occur in the drug underworld present unique challenges for investigators. In this community, even victims and their friends refuse to co-operate with police. While our investigative teams are very skilled at obtaining co-operation and evidence needed to advance these types of cases, even long-standing participants in the local drug trade found Troy’s death to be grossly unnecessary and many people were more willing to co-operate because of this. It was with the co-operation of several important witnesses, traditional and non-traditional investigative techniques, support from other teams, units and agencies and endless determination that we have brought this case to this stage," said S/Sgt Simon Pillay, who heads up the Kamloops RCMP Serious Crime Unit.
"I hope this serves as a lesson to drug traffickers in our community that violence, regardless of whom it occurs to, will not be tolerated and the Kamloops RCMP remain committed to holding those responsible accountable."
Gold was convicted of murdering a man on a Penticton beach in 2001, and online court documents show Gold has appeared in law courts all across the province, including in Kamloops and Kelowna for a variety of criminal offences.
Due to the complex nature of gang and organized crime investigations, they take a tremendous amount of resources. Multiple specialized units aided the SCU in this investigation.
Anyone with information about the suspects and their involvement in this or other cases is asked to contact the RCMP.
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