Foul play ruled out in death of 21-year-old at Pemberton Music Festival

The RCMP’s Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) has ruled out foul play in the death of 21-year-old Nick Phongsavath on Friday evening at the Pemberton Music Festival.

An autopsy was conducted on Monday and the family of the young man was notified of the findings.

As a result of evidence found at the scene, witness statements and the autopsy completed on Nick Phongsavath, it has been determined that foul play is not a contributing factor in his death, says S/Sgt. Jennifer Pound.

The investigation is no longer an IHIT case and has been given back to the RCMP’s Sea to Sky detachment at Whistler/Pemberton.

Phongsavath was discovered dead in his tent on the campsite just after 6 p.m. Following the discovery, a section of the campsite area was closed for a 24 hour period to permit an investigation. Until today, the incident was deemed as a “suspicious death.” Some media outlets jumped the gun and immediately called it a “murder” when news of the incident first broke.

He was from Regina and studied computer engineering at the University of Regina. He was to graduate in 2015 and had been working for a information technology company in Regina.

Featured Image: IHIT