An investigation is underway after the body of a missing 41-year-old man was located over the weekend.
Nathaniel Watters, 41, was found in the Nitinat Lake area on Saturday evening, according to a statement issued by the family that was posted on social media by a family friend.
“Thank you all so much for sharing Nathaniel’s information and searching for him throughout this week, it was incredible and heartwarming to see so many people spend so much of their time to help us find him. Having such a strong community around us makes this very difficult time a bit easier,” the post reads.
Watters was reported missing after he was last seen around 4:30 a.m. in the Keating area of Central Saanich on July 8. Though he was last seen in Central Saanich, his last known location was north of Fairy Lake on a forest service road in Port Renfrew.
Central Saanich Police Department confirmed on social media Sunday afternoon that Watters was found deceased and said his death is currently being investigated by the Lake Cowichan RCMP and the British Columbia Coroners Service.
RELATED: Central Saanich Police searching for missing 41-year-old male
The 41-year-old’s disappearance sparked search efforts by law enforcement, friends and family members, who hired helicopters and off-road vehicles to help locate him.
A GoFundMe was also set up to cover the costs of searching for Watters and less than 24 hours after it was launched, it had raised more than $13,000.
“The support has been amazing. Funding a helicopter is one thing; finding one available is another,” said Stu Hoffmann, a close friend of Watters, told CHEK News on July 11.
RELATED: GoFundMe launched to help search for man last seen in Central Saanich
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