Douglas Barker, 30, of Penticton has been identified as one of two people whose bodies were found in a burnt-out car near Penticton, Sept. 15, 2022.

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Douglas Barker was trying to turn his life around before he was found dead in a car near Summerland.

His family described him as a loving uncle who got "mixed up with the wrong crowd."

"He's a very fun-loving guy. Always outgoing, always smiling," his aunt, Kim Apps, said. She called him "Dougie."

He was found in a burnt-out car near a shooting range with the body of his girlfriend, Alannah Brown, on Sept. 15. Both of them were 30 years old.

Barker's sister-in-law said her daughters — his nieces — are reeling from the loss.

"He was their go-to for sad moments and happy moments," Brittany Harris said. "He stepped up for them immensely."

She last saw Barker and Brown on Sept. 11, less than a week before the pair were found in the car near the Penticton Shooting Sports Range.

Apps said she last spoke with Barker on Aug. 25. She lives in the Lower Mainland, but they would often check in with each other.

He told her he was going to start a new construction job on Sept. 1, getting back into an industry that took him to job sites across the Interior and to Alberta.

"He was hopefully starting a new life," she said. "He did get mixed up in a bit of drugs — it's common knowledge. But he wanted to get away from that and get back into carpentry."

Now, she's looking after funeral arrangements and government documentation for Barker as she and the rest of his family grieve.

"When I'm looking at a birth certificate and a death certificate side-by-side, it's hard," Apps said.

Apps said she didn't know Brown and she believes the two were only dating for a few months by the time they were found last month.

B.C. RCMP confirmed their identities in a news release yesterday, Oct. 24, looking to the public for more information on their deaths.

"We have learned that both Brown and Barker were last seen on Sept. 14, the day before their bodies were discovered," B.C. RCMP major crime Supt. Sanjay Wijayakoon said in the release.

Their deaths are suspicious, but police have not said whether or not it's a homicide investigation.

On Sept. 17, police said another vehicle was discovered burning near Oliver and officers were trying to determine whether it was related, but RCMP haven't said whether or not there's a connection.

Little information is known about Brown.

If you have information about this incident, you are can contact the Southeast District major crimes unit tip line at 1-877-987-8477.

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