OPP say death of Justin Evans 'not criminally suspicious'

While the investigation continues into the death of a young Gravenhurst man, police no longer believe it was a homicide.

Justin Evans, 22, went missing Dec. 12, 2020, from his Muskoka Mobile Home Park residence.

In January, OPP Det.-Insp. Matt Watson, of the Criminal Investigation Branch, said the disappearance was “criminally suspicious.”

Evans’s remains were found by a hiker May 19, and now “the evidence suggests it is no longer criminally suspicious,” Watson said.

Citing the investigation, he would not elaborate on why police have come to that determination.

He also could not provide more details about the arrest of 70-year-old Kenneth McKinney, a Gravenhurst man who has been charged with obstruction of justice in relation to the case. He is set to appear in Bracebridge court July 13.

Police are working with the coroner and forensic services to determine the cause of Evans’s death.

“We have not come to a final conclusion,” Watson said, adding it’s not known how long that process will take.

The case has generated plenty of interest and attention, especially on social media platforms like Facebook, where many offered support and condolences but some also speculated about the circumstances of Evans’s disappearance and death.

Police have been keeping an eye on it, Watson said, looking for indications that someone might have information or be involved somehow.

“We do scrape social media, looking for evidence,” he said.

When the cause of death is determined, it might not be made public through a news release, Watson said, adding it’s not common practice to do so now that the death has been deemed to be not criminal in nature.

Watson offered his condolences to Evans’s family.

“It’s been a very complex and difficult investigation,” he said. “They have been through excruciating emotional pain.”