N.B. writer Richard Vaughan found dead by police
Fredericton police found the body of Richard Vaughan on Friday, 10 days after the New Brunswick writer was reported missing.
Vaughan was 55.
Police say his death is not being treated as suspicious. They did not specify where his body was located.
Friends and family had been searching the city over the past week for the celebrated writer and queer artist, after police put out a call for help on Oct. 13.
Search efforts including asking residents of the downtown area to turn any security footage over to police.
Members of the province's arts community describe him as a role model who inspired them to pursue writing.
The author, playwright and poet returned to his home province earlier this year to become the writer-in-residence at the University of New Brunswick. He stayed on after the residency finished in May to work on projects delayed by the pandemic.
Jenna Lyn Albert, Fredericton's poet laureate, met Vaughan during his time at UNB and had been working with him on an anthology of queer writers from New Brunswick.
"I'm heartbroken and I think that's the case for a lot of Richard's friends and family right now," she said.
Albert said Vaughan was highly involved in the community, making his absence immediately felt once he went missing.
"People are pretty devastated."
