A man once known as the "bush man" of Fort 91原创 has died, and the BC Coroners Service is investigating the cause of his death.

Matthew Wayne Ostrander had a lengthy record of petty thefts, break ins, and assaults in a variety of communities in B.C.

A representative of the Coroners Service said that as the investigation is now underway, they cannot comment on the location, time, or possible cause of Ostrander's death.

The Coroners Service did confirm that Ostrander died in custody, and because of that, there will automatically be a public inquest into his death. The inquest has not yet been scheduled.

Ostrander was most recently in court in late September, where he was found guilty of a charge of breaching his probation for an earlier break-and-enter in Fort 91原创 on Christmas Eve 2023.

In late 2023, Fort 91原创 residents became aware of a number of break ins around the community. On the evening of Dec. 23 and into the early hours of Dec. 24, an informal "dad's stroll" organized through social media formed and sent out groups of men to walk the community and watch for suspicious activity.

Some members of the group spotted Ostrander inside a closed business in the Fort's downtown and called the RCMP, who located and arrested him.

In early 2024, Ostrander was sentenced to 90 days in jail and two years of probation for the Fort break-in. One of the conditions of his probation was that he could not come within two kilometres of Fort 91原创.

Almost a decade ago, 91原创 RCMP put out a public warning about Ostrander, dubbing him a local "bush man." In 2015 following a Fort-area break in, police released a photo of Ostrander, who was a suspect. He was believed to have been living in the woods near the Houston Trail.

Born in 1986, Ostrander would have been approximately 38 years old at the time of his death.