Virgin River actor Stewart McLean believed to be victim of homicide after disappearing from home

As the search for missing TV actor Stewart McLean officially hit the one week mark on Friday, detectives investigating his disappearance shared a shocking update, with the Royal Canadian Mountain Police now treating the case as a homicide investigation.

McLean was last seen alive and well at his British Columbia home on May 15, however a formal missing persons report was filed just three days later on May 18 to the Squamish RCMP after he seemingly vanished without a trace.

Initially investigators had treated it as a simple missing persons case, however in an update issued on Thursday it was revealed that the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team have taken over the case and believe McLean was murdered after finding sufficient evidence to support this theory.

“On May 20, IHIT deployed and assumed conduct of the investigation,” a press release on Thursday said.

Stew was a respected Canadian TV actor who appeared in numerous TV shows including The Irrational (Sergei Bachlakov/NBC via Getty Images)

“Squamish RCMP continues to work closely with IHIT and the Integrated Forensic Identification Service (IFIS) to advance the investigation. Squamish RCMP initiated an investigation and, through investigative efforts, uncovered evidence that led investigators to believe Mr. McLean was victim of homicide.

"Anyone with information regarding this investigation is asked to call the IHIT information line at 1-877-551-IHIT (4448) or by email at ihitinfo@rcmp–grc.gc.ca.”

While the actor’s name may seem unfamiliar, his face may not be, with the star having appeared in numerous shows since starting his professional career in 2015, including, most recently, the role of a barfly in Netflix smash hit Virgin River.

McLean, described by investigators as 5ft 10 in, 150 lbs with gray hair and blue eyes, was also a well known staple of the Canadian TV scene, often appearing in many hit shows filmed in the region such as Murder in a Small Town, Happy Face, the DC show Arrow, Travelers, The Killer Inside: The Ruth Finley Story and the Freeform TV series Beyond.

So far, no further details have been shared about his final movements or what evidence has led them to come to this tragic conclusion.

His agency paid an emotional tribute to the late star on Friday (Sergei Bachlakov/NBC via Getty Images)

Additionally, no suspect has yet been identified or publicly revealed, and investigators are continuing to look into the case, which sadly appears to have claimed the life of a beloved Canadian actor.

After news of the change in the investigation broke, his agency Lucas Talent Inc. shared a tribute to McLean.

“It is with great sadness that we say goodbye to our beloved client, Stew McLean,” Jodi Caplan from his agency wrote on Facebook May 22. “I was fortunate to have worked with Stew for more than 10 years.”

“He was always such a pleasure to deal with,” she added, “dedicated, professional, eager, and endlessly funny!”

"Many casting directors have reached out to share their condolences with Stew’s family and with our agency, and every message says the same thing: what a truly great guy he was, and how deeply he will be missed.

Rest in peace, Stew. xo"