Three men charged with murder in Dawson Creek, B.C., homicide: RCMP

Robert Eric Douglas Girbav, 37, is shown in this photo provided by the B.C. RCMP.

More than two years after a man’s body was found in a vehicle in northern B.C., three men have been charged with murder.

Officers with the Dawson Creek RCMP were called to investigate a “suspicious vehicle” on Dec. 31, 2023, authorities said in a statement Sunday.

“When officers arrived, they located a deceased male,” the statement said.

The victim was later identified as 37-year-old Robert Eric Douglas Girbav.

“We acknowledge that the loss of Mr. Girbav was felt widely and contributed to ongoing community concerns regarding crime and violence in the Dawson Creek area,” a spokesperson for the detachment said, in the statement.

The Northern District Major Crime Unit took over the investigation, and three men were charged with first-degree murder Saturday after “co-ordinated arrests in B.C. and Alberta,” Mounties said, adding “the three men were arrested without incident as they were already in custody for unrelated matters”

The accused are Tanner Allan Murray, Robert James Sinclair, and Benjamin James Elliott Touchette.

“Investigators believe the accused and the victim were known to each other,” the statement from the RCMP continued.

No additional details were provided.