Thunder Bay

1 of 4 men dead in plane crash near Sioux Lookout, Ont., was wanted in Thailand for murder

Provincial police on Tuesday publicly released the identities of three of the individuals found dead after a small plane crashed in northwestern Ontario last weekend. One of the men was a suspect in a murder investigation in Thailand.

Police in B.C. confirm Gene Lahrkamp was wanted by Royal Thai Police

The wreck of the Piper PA-28 Cherokee was discovered in the Kukukus Lake area, about 40 kilometres southeast of Sioux Lookout, Ont., according to provincial police. The small passenger plane was headed from Dryden to Marathon. (CBC)

One of the four men who died in a weekend plane crash in northwestern Ontario had been sought by Royal Thai Police in the death of a man in Thailand earlier this year.

Rescue crews found the aircraft early Saturday. There were no survivors.

Ontario Provincial Police on Tuesday publicly released the identities of three of those who were on board, including 36-year-old Gene Lahrkamp.

The Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit of British Columbia confirmed Lahrkamp was a fugitive wanted for murder by the Thai police force after Jimi Sandhu, who is said to have had gang affiliations in British Columbia, was killed in February.

A spokesperson for the enforcement unit told CBC News that Lahrkamp had no outstanding warrants in Canada, and didn't have any further information about the case or what he may have been doing in northwestern Ontario.  

Police in Thailand had laid murder charges against Lahrkamp and another man, who both fled and returned to Canada.

Last week, Lahrkamp had been added to a list of Canada's most wanted fugitives, and a $100,000 reward was offered for information leading to his arrest.

The wreckage of the aircraft was found Saturday morning after a search had started when the plane was reported overdue. The plane had been flying from Dryden, Ont., east toward Marathon.

Provincial police said 26-year-old Abhinav Handa, of Richmond, B.C., has been identified as the pilot and was operating the plane. Duncan Bailey, 37, of Kamloops, B.C., was one of the occupants. Police said the name of the fourth individual won't be released until the family has been notified.

The crash remains under investigation by the Transportation Safety Board of Canada.