There’s a Chemainus connection to the person of interest in an unsolved Nanaimo murder who was arrested on an unrelated matter last week.
Police arrested Steven Michael Bacon in a wilderness area between Chemainus and Lake Cowichan last Thursday. Off-roaders came across Bacon entirely by chance in the area of Holyoak Lake and recognized him from publicity photos.
Bacon was associated with Makayla Chang prior to the 16-year-old’s disappearance in March 2017. Police found her body two months later.
No one has ever been charged with Chang’s murder and, although police had spoken with Bacon, neither he nor anyone else has been named as a suspect in the case, which remains unsolved.
Bacon was described as a “person of interest,” when Nanaimo RCMP serious crime unit put out a press release in August asking for the public’s help in locating Bacon so they could speak with him. He’s had no contact with police since 2017 prior to his arrest.
Kerry Chang, Makayla’s father, said he was informed of Bacon’s arrest when two RCMP investigators arrived at his residence with a question for Janine Vautour, Makayla’s mother, regarding some information they were following up on in the investigation into Lisa Marie Young’s disappearance in 2002 and informed him during the conversation that Bacon had been arrested.
“They’re still following up on a lot of information they have, and I guess they just took it for granted that we knew already,” Chang said.
He did not receive details from officers, other than Bacon was arrested for something unrelated to Makayla’s murder.
Const. Gary O’Brien, Nanaimo RCMP spokesman, confirmed Jan. 3 that Bacon has been arrested and that it was for a matter unrelated to the murder investigation.
- with a file from Chris Bush, Nanaimo News Bulletin.