Members from the Saanich Police Uniform Patrol Division made a shocking discovery at a residence on Tillicum Road in the early morning hours of Monday, November 24.
Officers had first responded to a report of a suspicious circumstance at around 2:30 in the morning, relating to a possible shoplifting attempt at a nearby grocery store. A vehicle of interest to the original investigation was located on the property and officers attended to the property to conduct a follow up investigation.
Shortly after arriving at the property, one of the officers observed a male coming from the back yard area of the property who appeared to be in distress. The male was noted to be disoriented and had signs of being injured including blood on his face and clothing. The male advised that he had been held captive at the residence and had just escaped.
Further officers responded to the location. A 45 year old female and a 38 year old male were located in an outbuilding on the property. Both were arrested without incident.
The main residence on the property was cleared to confirm that there were no further victims suffering from injuries. All of the occupants of the residence were identified and later released.
Yesterday, investigators were successful in obtaining a warrant to search the residence, the property, and the outbuildings to seize evidence related to this incident. The search warrant is being conducted this morning and the investigation continues.
So far, there have been two people arrested relating to this incident. Charged are 38 year old James Colin WALKER and 45 year old Name Maya MCKAY. As indicated, the investigation is ongoing and there is a possibility that further charges will result. So far, the charges include Assault Causing Bodily Harm, and Unlawful Confinement.
Both WALKER and MCKAY will be appearing in court today.
As you can well appreciate, this is a complex investigation. Given the serious nature of the allegations, police investigators will be carefully examining the property for any forensic evidence.
“Our investigators are working towards establishing a time line that will confirm how long the 30 year old victim was on the property” Sgt. Steve Eassie said. “At this point we can confidently state that the victim appears to have been held for a period of time greater than 24 hours”.
There is no apparent immediate risk to the public. Police are aware that this property has become the focus of this neighbourhood for the past several months and we will be working with the community, bylaw, fire etc. to ensure the continued safety of everyone in the area.
File 2014-23262
Sgt. Steve Eassie #158