Cold case victim found dead in Squamish identified by police

SURREY, B.C. – Homicide detectives in B.C. say they have confirmed the identity of a man who was found dead inside a burned vehicle in Squamish three years ago, but the new information has led to more questions.

Sgt. Frank Jang of the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team says they've identified the victim as 38-year-old Davis Wolfgang Hawke of the United States.

He says Hawke's body was found June 14, 2017, inside a red, 2000 GMC Yukon XL on a service road in Squamish and the autopsy showed he died from a gunshot wound.

At that time, Jang says police found that Hawke went by the name Jesse James and was well known in the area as an avid climber.

He says the identification of the victim is a significant development but added it raises more questions particularly with respect to motive.

He says the new information also opens more avenues of investigation for police and they hope it will lead them to solving the case.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 29, 2020.