Residents of Perth-Andover, New Brunswick are in shock after police said the death of Wayne Rattray last March is being investigated as a murder.
Rattray, 59, was last seen in the early morning hours of March 2. Fire crews responded to a call later that day where they found his house engulfed in flames and just five days later his truck was found on fire near Renous, approximately 175 kilometres from his home.
On May 21 his remains were found in the Renous area.
“At this time we have gathered evidence since the beginning of the investigation,” RCMP Const. Jullie Rogers-Marsh said. “That is the information that has led us to believe that Mr. Rattray was murdered.”
Members of the small community say it’s shocking to think something like this could happen in their community.
“You hear about that in the cities,” said Dean McAllister. “But not used to that around here.”
Rattray’s second cousin, Scott McNally, said the news has left a hole in his heart.
“He was a great guy, a really good friend,” McNally said. “He never meant any harm to anybody.”
“He’d go out of his way to help people, and we really miss him,” McNally said.
Pete Bradley met Rattray through work several years back and said he was always a joy to be around.
“I thought he was a great guy,” said Bradley. “He was just a really easy going, easy to get to know guy, easy to talk to.”
Both McNally and Bradley say the loss of a beloved community member is weighing heavily on many residents minds.
“Everybody in the community wants to figure out who did this,” Bradley said. “Hopefully justice gets served.”
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