The BC Coroners Service has confirmed the identity of a man whose body was recovered from Francois Lake on June 30, 2013 - and in the process has solved a disappearance more than a quarter-century old.

The man was John Angus Mowat, from Burns Lake.

Mr. Mowat was 33 years old when he disappeared into the waters of Francois Lake on July 13, 1984. He had been fishing on the lake. His boat was found with a fishing rod and a freshly caught fish in it, but his body was never recovered.

In late June of 2013, another individual went missing in Francois Lake and family members hired private search and recovery services to try to find and recover the body of their missing relative. Those search efforts located a body on the bottom of the lake in about 175 metres of water. The BC Coroners Service has since confirmed the identity of the body as being that of Mr. Mowat.

The family of Mr. Mowat has been notified of these findings. On behalf of the family, the BC Coroners Service asks that the media respect their privacy at this difficult time.

For further information, please contact:

Donita Kuzma
Regional Coroner, Northern Region
BC Coroners Service
250 565-6040