Missing Canadian Filmmaker Dave Walker Found Dead in Cambodia Temple
Dave Walker, the Canadian filmmaker and journalist who went missing in Cambodia since February 2014, was found dead on Thursday, May 1.
The 58-year-old Edmonton filmmaker had been living in Siem Reap before he went missing on February 14. The disappearance was considered suspicious as he did not take any of his belongings with him. All his personal possessions, including his passport, laptop and mobile phone were left in the house he was staying in. A local child said Walker's body was found at the Angkor Wat temples.
According to Toronto Sun, the reason for his death was not known to Walker's family. However, it seemed that Walker had been dead for weeks before he was found. When Walker disappeared, Sonny Chhuon - his business partner at the Animist Film production company - told the Phnom Penh Post that the filmmaker did not consume alcohol and it was normal for the duo to meet on a daily basis. Chhuon said that he did not believe that Walker had gone somewhere on his own. He suspected that something was wrong as Walker was not supposed to leave his house without taking the mobile phone and the charger behind.
CTV News reported quoted Forensic officer Pheng Pich saying that authorities were waiting for the DNA test results before the body could be officially identified. According to Officer Pich, initial signs did not indicate any kind of foul play involved in the death of the filmmaker. Another senior officer with the Siem Reap provincial police, Tith Narong, said that Walker's body was identified by his friends and acquaintances by his clothing.
Walker used to speak the local language, knew local streets and native culture. That was why it was baffling for his family and friends to know that he might have been "lost" somewhere. Walker, along with Chhuon, was working on a documentary about the Khmer Rouge regime that left around two million people dead. Walker co-wrote Hello My Big Big Honey, a non-fiction book about bar girls in Bangkok and their admirers from the West.