Who Is Steward McLean? ‘Virgin River’ Actor Found Dead as Homicide Probe Begins

Virgin River actor Steward McLean was declared dead after he was reported missing from his residence at Lions Bay on May 15. Authorities have reported that McLean’s remains have been discovered in Lion’s Bay, Canada. According to the Squamish Royal Canadian Mounted Police, McLean was last seen on May 15 before he disappeared.

Canada’s Integrated Homicide Investigation Team said in an official press release, “As the investigation continues to unfold, homicide investigators are working together to collect and analyze evidence, review CCTV footage, and conduct interviews to build a timeline of Mr. McLean’s activities prior to his disappearance on May 15.

“We are pursuing all available leads as we work to find answers for the family, friends, and loved ones of Mr. McLean,” the statement reads.

The official press release also revealed that authorities have been trying to locate McLean since his disappearance, following the “onset of the missing persons” investigation, and have reason to believe that this disappearance was an isolated incident.

Lucas Talent confirmed Steward McLean’s death in a Facebook statement written by his agent, Jodi Caplan. The post read, “It is with great sadness that we say goodbye to our beloved client, Stew McLean. I was fortunate to have worked with him for more than 10 years. He was always such a pleasure to deal with, dedicated, professional, eager, and endlessly funny.”

"Many casting directors have reached out to share their condolences with Stew’s family and with our agency, and every message says the same thing: what a truly great guy he was and how deeply he will be missed," the Facebook post read.

The latest update from the police department on McLean’s death came a day after authorities announced that they believed McLean was a victim of a homicide.

A close friend of the actor reported McLean missing to authorities. He said he had a terrible gut feeling that something was wrong the morning McLean went missing. In an interview with the Canadian Press, Jeff Seymour said he felt there was something wrong when he did not show up for the filming that morning.

“He was meticulous about everything, so there was no chance that he blew off or slept too late. As soon as I heard he didn’t make it in the morning of May 16th, I knew there was big trouble,” Seymour said in his interview. “It just didn’t make any sense. He was incredibly situationally aware,” he added. “I bring it up because for the life of me, I don’t know how anybody could get the drop on.”

Seymour, who had been friends with McLean for eight years, said McLean was loved by many and had no bad blood.

Throughout Mclean’s career, he appeared in several series, including Virgin River, Arrow, Murder in Small Town, etc.