Body believed to be that of missing Nanaimo teen found

A body believed to be that of a missing Nanaimo teenager has been found and police are treating it as a homicide.

Makayla Chang, 16, was reported missing on March 22.

She went missing in Nanaimo on March 20.

Police said before they believed she could have traveled to Metro Vancouver with a 53-year-old man, Steven Michael Bacon. Police eventually located Bacon and spoke with him, but did not call him a suspect.

READ MORE: Missing Nanaimo teen may be in Metro Vancouver, RCMP say

A few weeks after Chang’s disappearance, a tactical team searched two Nanaimo properties in relation to the case. Officers were spotted at a home on Bruce Avenue that Chang was known to frequent. In an earlier search, RCMP looked at an area around Colliery Dam in connection with Chang’s case.

WATCH — Apr 2, 2017: Nanaimo Search and Rescue searched a park in connection with the disappearance of 16-year-old Makayla Chang. 

0:36 RCMP search park in relation to missing Makayla Chang

The Nanaimo RCMP do not believe the public is at risk and will advise should the risk level change.

The investigation is being led by the Nanaimo Serious Crime Unit along with the assistance of other police resources.

Police say it remains a priority investigation, with dedicated resources tasked with determining the circumstances surrounding the disappearance and suspected homicide of Chang.

Police say Chang’s family is asking for privacy during this time.

Brandy McKee, a friend of the family, told Global News Makayla was a very upbeat, positive young lady with the biggest heart. McKee says the family is thankful to anyone who has shown concern for Makayla while she was missing.

McKee says the family has received no answers about where Chang’s body was found. The Nanaimo RCMP refused to comment on that aspect of the story on Thursday.

“It makes it extremely hard for the family at this time. They are going through absolute hell right now,” she said.