A former Calgary high school teacher charged with 17 sexual-related offences allegedly against former students has been found dead on a remote island off the coast of Vancouver Island.
Michael Andreassen Gregory, 57, of De Winton, Alta., was charged with six counts of sexual assault and 11 counts of sexual exploitation last week, before his death.
Calgary Police said Gregory was a teacher at John Ware Junior High School between 1986 and 2006 and the charges were between 1999 and 2005.
A woman first reported sexual misconduct to police in September 2020.
Calgary police said the woman claims her teacher "undressed her and other female students during a canoe trip not sanctioned by the school, exposing them to him and their peers" during the summer of 2001.
Police said five other women came forward with accusations of being sexually involved with the same teacher while they were students between 1995 and 2005.
“There can be a lot of confusion and mixed emotions when a young person experiences exploitation by someone they trusted,” said Staff Sgt. Michelle Doyle. “It can often take many years before the person looks back on it and realizes that what happened was not OK and that it needs to be reported.”
Glacier Media has confirmed with RCMP that Gregory's body was discovered on Quadra Island on Monday.
"The Quadra RCMP investigated a sudden death that was deemed non-suspicious," said RCMP Cpl. Chris Manseau.
Calgary Police said on Tuesday they will continue to investigate even though the accused is deceased.
"When a suspect or accused passes away before an investigation is complete, we still finish examining all the evidence to try [to] learn what happened," said police in a news release. "This hopefully allows us to give some closure and supports to victims."
