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Body of Westlock senior recovered

After a week of searching, police have confirmed they've recovered the body of Robert Wilkins, a Westlock man who went missing late last month. RCMP media relations officer Cpl.
Police recovered the body of missing Westlock man Robert Wilkins on Aug. 3 while following up on a tip from the public. Wilkins was reported missing on July 26. No foul play
Police recovered the body of missing Westlock man Robert Wilkins on Aug. 3 while following up on a tip from the public. Wilkins was reported missing on July 26. No foul play is suspected and the police investigation is considered closed.

After a week of searching, police have confirmed they've recovered the body of Robert Wilkins, a Westlock man who went missing late last month.

RCMP media relations officer Cpl. Ronald Bumbry said police located the remains of Wilkins, 66, in the early afternoon of Aug. 3 while acting on a public tip.

'We started getting some tips about where he was. Specifically, a tip came in noting that his truck was located so we followed up on that," Bumbry said.

'It's obviously a tragic situation when someone is found deceased."

No foul play is suspected in Wilkins' death and Bumbry confirmed that the investigation into his disappearance is now considered closed.

Bumbry said a detailed location of where the body was found would not be released, but did say it was in the Westlock/Barrhead area and was near a fishing hole.

'It was near a location where fishing does occur," Bumbry said, noting that Wilkins did not drown.

'Due to specifics of the investigation, and the privacy of the family, I don't want to go into more specifics in regards to that.

An autopsy was conducted, however Bumbry said police will not release results publicly.

Wilkins was last seen by a family member on the morning of July 25, though an RCMP investigation confirmed he was last seen July 26 at a store in Westlock.

He was officially reported missing July 26.

Wilkins was an avid fisherman and outdoorsman, so Bumbry said police searched a number of outdoor areas around the municipality.

'He went to various different locales within the Westlock area and Barrhead to go fishing, mostly on a daily basis, if not every other day," he said.

'Various different venues, places suggested where he could be did not pan out."

Bumbry thanked the public for their assistance in the investigation, especially for the tip that eventually led to his discovery.

'With the public's assistance, we were able to locate the truck," he said.

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