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John FADDEN

Update – John FADDEN still missing. Police need public’s help

University RCMP are asking for the public’s help in the search for 62-year-old John FADDEN, missing since Sept. 21 from UBC Hospital.

“We’re very concerned for Mr. Fadden as he suffers from a brain injury and is prone to wandering,” says Corporal Annie Linteau, spokesperson for the RCMP in E Division. “We have used the police helicopter and dogs, and received assistance from Search and Rescue and Metro Parks in our attempt to locate Mr. Fadden. Our search has included Wreck Beach, the trails in Pacific Spirit Park and the hospital grounds among other areas.”

John FADDEN was last seen wearing long sleeve brown shirt, gray pants and brown shoes.  He is 62 years old, Gray hair, 5'11", 230 pounds with a medium build.  

If you have any information that may help police locate John FADDEN, please contact University detachment at 604-224-1322

Please click here for a link to the earlier press release issued on Mr. Fadden.

http://bc.rcmp.ca/ViewPage.action?siteNodeId=1017&languageId=1&contentId=21197

Please direct media inquiries to Cpl.  Annie Linteau, "E" Division Communication Services, (604)264-2929.

University RCMP concerned for missing 62-year-old ma

University RCMP detachment is bringing in police dogs and a helicopter to help with an ongoing search for John FADDEN, missing since Wednesday, Sept. 21

“Mr. Fadden has gone missing a number of times in the past six months, but never for this length of time. On Wednesday he left for a walk and never returned,” says Sergeant Peter Thiessen, spokesperson for University RCMP. “Mr. Fadden has lived at UBC Hospital for the last 7 years, and after he leaves he is usually found a day or two later, sometimes as far away as Stanley Park.

John FADDEN suffers from a brain injury, and is not known to frequent any specific locations or any individual’s homes. He has no identification or money on his person, and usually removes his hospital bracelet when walking. He is not known to walk into places that might endanger him, but merely becomes lost and has trouble finding his way back to the hospital.

“University detachment is continuing extensive searches of the UBC grounds and nearby Pacific Spirit Regional Park, including Wreck Beach, in conjunction with Metro Vancouver Regional Parks and UBC Campus Security,” says Sgt. Thiessen. “Police Dog Services and Air Services have been brought in to assist with the search.”

John FADDEN was last seen wearing long sleeve Brown shirt, Gray pants and Brown shoes.  He is 62 years old, Gray hair, 5'11", 230 pounds with a medium build.  Photo attached.

If you have any information that may help police locate John FADDEN, please contact University detachment at 604-224-1322.

Jafar Imanpour
http://bc.rcmp.ca/ViewPage.action?siteNodeId=319&languageId=1&contentId=22008

It’s been two months since anyone has seen Jafar Imanpour!

File # 2011-27127
2011-11-24 11:27 PST

Port Coquitlam - The Coquitlam RCMP is issuing a renewed appeal to the public for any information regarding the disappearance of Jafar Imanpour.

On September 25 at 5:15 pm, Mr. Imanpour went for a walk in the Toronto Street area of Port Coquitlam. He told his family that he would be gone for no more than 15 minutes. Two months later, they are still awaiting his return.

The Coquitlam RCMP, with assistance from Coquitlam Search and Rescue, embarked on an immediate search of the streets and parks on the north side of Port Coquitlam in an effort to locate Mr. Imanpour. As time has passed, the police investigation has broadened to consider various possible scenarios and locations. Despite an ongoing investigation, the circumstances surrounding Mr. Imanpour’s disappearance remain a mystery.

"I think it would be devastating for any family to have to go through what the Imanpour family has been going through for the past two months," said Supt. Claude Wilcott, Officer in charge of the Coquitlam RCMP. "The truth is we don't have any active leads right now but I know someone must have seen something. So I'm asking the citizens of Coquitlam and Port Coquitlam to rack their brains and talk to their friends and neighbours and try to remember where they were and what they saw and heard in the hours and days after Mr. Imanpour was last seen. What you think is a trivial bit of information could be the turning point that leads us to Mr. Imanpour and Mr. Imanpour back to his family where he belongs."

Mr. Imanpour is a retired school teacher and is described by his family as a devoted husband, loving father and doting grandfather. He recently arrived in Canada for a visit and was very happy to be with his family.

“Our lives have stopped since my father went missing - it’s like a nightmare for us” said Mehrdad Imanpour, Jafar Imanpour’s son. “We have tried every possible way to find him but could not. The only way left for us is getting help from the public.”

Mr. Imanpour is described as:

·         An Iranian male;

·         74 years old;

·        
          180 cm (5'11");

·         87 kg (192 lbs);

·         Medium build;

·         Balding with white hair; and

·         White moustache.

He was last seen wearing a dark blue baseball hat, black jacket, blue jeans, black runners and glasses. Please call the Coquitlam RCMP at 604 945-1550 if you have any information regarding the disappearance of Mr. Imanpour

Coquitlam

Missing Person

File # 2011-27127

2011-09-26 09:22 PDT

Port Coquitlam – The Coquitlam RCMP are urgently seeking public assistance to locate Jafar Imanpour, a 74 year-old man visiting from Iran who went missing from his Port Coquitlam residence in the evening of September 25.

On September 25 at 5:15 pm, Mr. Jafar Imanpour went for a walk in the Toronto Street area of Port Coquitlam. He did not carry his wallet, money or a phone. His family contacted the Coquitlam RCMP to report Mr. Imanpour missing after 8 pm when he did not return home from his supposedly 15-minute walk.

Jafar Imanpour is described as:

an Iranian male,

180 cm (5’11”) tall,

87 kg (192 lb.) in weight,

medium built,

balding with white hair, and

white moustache.

He was last seen wearing a dark blue baseball hat, black jacket, blue jeans, black runners and glasses. He does not speak English and does not know anyone other than his family in the area. Jafar Imanpour is not suicidal and is not suffering from any Dementia or Alzheimer. He is known to frequent Starbucks in Coquitlam and Port Coquitlam areas

Please call the Coquitlam RCMP at 604-945-1550 or your local police immediately if you have any information in relation to Mr. Imanpour’s whereabouts.

by Marieton Pacheco, ABS-CBN North America News Bureau

Posted at 09/16/2011 4:04 PM

VANCOUVER, Canada – A Filipino teenager has been missing for about a month now in Vancouver.The parents of  Dennis James “DJ” Bastillo called on kababayans to help them find him. 

DJ has been missing since August 18. He was last seen getting on a bus to go to a nearby mall in north Vancouver. He, however, never returned home.

“Hindi mawawala yan ng hindi tumatawag. So, 10:30 ng gabi sabi ko text mo nga ang anak mo. Hindi sumagot. At 6 a.m. nakita ko yung sulat niya na iniwan,” said his father.

However, it appeared that DJ planned his disappearance. 

In letters that appeared to have been written by DJ and sent to his family and close friends, DJ expressed love and appreciation to them. He also apologized for leaving, adding he will be missing them.

According to his parents, this is not characteristic of the son, who they described as loving and studious. He was an academic achiever who was accepted to University of British Columbia and grew up actively participating in the church's youth group and choir.

“Ang sakit kasi yung anak kong yun never kong napagalitan kasi sobrang bait niya,” his mother Gina said.

The family has reported the incident to the local police, who are inclined to believe it was a suicide, given the existence of goodbye letters. But no body has been found. 

His parents are not losing hope. They are also grateful to family and friends who have been busy trying to find him.

Missing Man

By 250 News

Tuesday, September 06, 2011 04:31 PM

Prince George, B.C.- Prince George RCMP are hoping you can help them locate Gordon John Powell.

The 49 year old Prince George man has not been seen since mid July when he left his mother’s home in his pick up truck.

The family reported him missing August 26th after they had not heard from him for four weeks.

Gordon John Powell is described as:

Caucasian, - 6’2” , 165 lbs,

has green eyes and sandy blonde hair.

He was last seen driving his 1988 blue Mazda pickup which had BC licence place DC 5974.

He did not take any extra clothing, credit / debit cards or cell-phone, and made no comments regarding his possible destination.

If you have any information about Powell’s whereabouts, you are asked to contact the Prince George RCMP at (250)561-3300 or anonymously call Crime Stoppers at 1(800)222-TIPS (8477).

UFVRD News Release - Police looking for author of letter regarding historical missing person investigationFile #:  1983-2535

Police looking for author of letter regarding historical missing person investigation

Chilliwack, BC:  Early last week the Chilliwack RCMP received an anonymous letter with information regarding the Jo-Anne Pedersen missing person investigation.

On February 19, 1983, at approximately 8:20 pm, ten year old Jo-Anne Pedersen was last seen in a phone booth at the Penny Pinchers convenience store at the corner of Watson and Vedder Roads in Chilliwack.  Jo-Anne made a call from the phone booth asking her parents to pick her up because she was locked out of the house.  By the time her parents arrived at the store, Jo-Anne was gone and has not been seen or heard from since.

Witnesses at the time reported that a man was in the phone booth with Jo-Anne.  Police have never been able to identify this man who police believe was trying help her. 

The Chilliwack RCMP believe that the author of this anonymous letter is a witness to the events leading up to the disappearance of Jo-Anne Pedersen.  It is imperative that the police speak to this witness as soon as possible.  If you have any information on this investigation or this letter you are asked to contact Constable Justine Hayward of the Chilliwack RCMP Serious Crime Unit at 604-792-4611 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS).

Released by:

Cpl. Tammy Hollingsworth

2011-09-06

Media Relations Section

Upper Fraser Valley Regional Detachment

Phone:  (604) 702-4017

Fax:  (604) 702-4045

Cell:  (604) 819-5553

Email:  UFVRD_MEDIA@rcmp-grc.gc.ca

Missing Coast Cottage Residen
File # 2010-23995

2010-08-12 13:26 PDT

The Coquitlam RCMP is requesting the public’s assistance in locating 63 year old Jack Vernon MACLEOD. He is missing from the Coast Cottages program located on the Riverview grounds in Coquitlam.

Mr. MACLEOD left the residence on a day pass on August 6th, 2010, at approximately 4:00 pm and has not been heard from since.

Mr. MACLEOD is described as a Caucasian male, 5'4" in height, approximately 154lbs, partially balding salt and pepper hair, with blue eyes and medium complexion. He was last seen wearing a beige suede jacket, a blue button-up dress shirt, and dress pants. MACLEOD normally makes use of a cane to walk however he did not take the cane with him went he left the residence 

Mr. MACLEOD is wanted on a Canada wide warrant for being Unlawfully at Large and should not be approached by the public.

Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Jack MACLEOD is asked to call the Coquitlam RCMP at 604-945-1550 or call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477.)

Dana Jane Turner
 
Edmonton man charged in death of Fort Sask. woman
Thu Mar. 15 2012 16:09:51
Julia Parrish, ctvedmonton.ca

Fort Saskatchewan RCMP have reported a man in his 20s is in custody in B.C., in connection to the missing person-turned homicide case of Fort Saskatchewan woman, Dana Turner.

Police said Mark Lindsay, 25, of Edmonton – has been arrested and charged in connection to Turner's death.

Lindsay was arrested Thursday at the North Fraser Pretrial Center in Port Coquitlam, B.C. – and plans are in place to transport him back to Alberta to appear before a Justice of the Peace to set a date for his first court appearance.

Several charges have been laid in the case, including second-degree murder, indignity to a body and obstruction of justice.

The charges stem from a missing person report for Dana Turner filed by Fort Saskatchewan RCMP on August 16, 2011.

Months later, on October 9, her remains were found about 10 kilometres west of Innisfail.

RCMP said the investigation into the case is ongoing, and are asking anyone with information to call the Fort Saskatchewan RCMP detachment at 780-992-6100 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477)

Burnaby

Missing Burnaby woman
 File # 2011-35780

2011-08-22 12:05 PDT

The Burnaby RCMP is seeking the public’s assistance in locating Jessica Anuroff. She was last seen on July 24 and has not been heard from since.

Jessica’s mother last saw her daughter over three weeks ago and describes this long absence as unusual. She is concerned for the well being of her daughter and contacted the Burnaby RCMP on August 17 to report her missing.

Jessica is a 22 year old, Aboriginal female who is described as being 5'3” 120lbs, with long brown hair, and brown eyes. Jessica is known to frequent the Vancouver Downtown East side.

If you have information about Jessica’s whereabouts please contact the Burnaby RCMP at (604)294-7922

David Robert COX

Cranbrook

Police asking for public's help in locating a missing person

Share | File # 2011- 3149

2011-08-15 14:19 PDT

Cranbrook RCMP are looking for 27 year old David Robert COX who was has been reported missing. David COX is described as 175 cm (5'9" )tall, 68 kg (150 lbs) in weight with brown hair and eyes and last seen in the Cranbrook area on April 6, 2011. David COX has been known to frequent the Lower mainland, Victoria and Alberta areas. If anyone has seen David COX or has any information about his whereabouts they are asked to contact Cst Andrea FITZPATRICK of the Cranbrook RCMP at (250)489-3471.

If anyone has any additional information about this or any other crime they can call the Cranbrook RCMP at 250-489-3471 or East Kooteney Crimestoppers (1-800-222-TIPS).

Paula MELVIN
news release
FOR IMMEDIATE DISTRIBUTION

Not to be released before:   2011-08-12
Date & Time of Incident:   2011-08-12
Location of Incident:   Nanaimo
Nanaimo RCMP File #:   2011-21235
CAPTION:   Missing woman located
DETAILS: 
Police in Nanaimo would like to thank the staff of a local ‘”Gas and Go” for their assistance in locating the missing Nanaimo  woman.

Shortly after members of the local detachment had  been at the store, distributing flyers with the woman’s photo, a staff member saw the woman outside the store. The staff person went outside and engaged her in conversation while a second staff person called the police.

“Ms. MELVIN was looking for help and did the right thing by going to the store.” Said Cst Sherri Wade with the Nanaimo RCMP. “ We are very grateful that the staff of the store took the time to help out a stranger."
Contact Officer:   
Released by:    Cst Sherri WADE Date: 2011-08-12

Nanaimo BC
Missing woman

Not to be released before:   2011-08-12
Date & Time of Incident:   2011-08-12
Location of Incident:   Nanaimo
Nanaimo RCMP File #:   2011-21235

Police in Nanaimo are requesting the public's assistance in locating a missing 45 year old female from Nanaimo.

Paula MELVIN left her Nanaimo home on August 6th, 2011 and has not returned home nor made contact with her family.

MELVIN is described as Caucasian, approximately 5 ft 4 inches and 220 lbs with short, shaggy, sandy brown hair Attached is a recent photo.

"Melvin is living with a brain injury, which makes her particularly vulnerable", said Cst Sherri Wade, with the Nanaimo RCMP. "Her family are very concerned that she may be in trouble and not sure how to reach out for help."

If you see Paula MELVIN ,please contact the Nanaimo RCMP at 250-754-2345, or call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477(TIPS). You can also go online at www.nanaimocrimestoppers.com
 
Contact Officer:   
Released by:    Cst Sherri WADE Date: 2011-08-12

Cst Sherri WADE

School Liaison Officer

Nanaimo RCMP

250-755-3253

sherri.wade@rcmp-grc.gc.ca

Abbotsford Police seek help in tracking down missing teen

By Vikki Hopes - Abbotsford News

Published: August 09, 2011 10:00 AM

Updated: August 09, 2011 2:55 PM

Abbotsford Police are asking for help in tracking down a missing 15-year-old girl.

Celine Lynn Johnny resides in a home operated by a charitable society, and was reported missing by staff on July 28 after failing to return from meeting a family member at a local mall.

Const. Ian MacDonald​ said the teen had been missing for about four hours at the time police were called, but had been due back much sooner than that. She has not contacted staff to let them know she is safe.

Police have attempted to contact the family member that Johnny was supposedly meeting, but have not been able to reach her. The relative lives in the Interior of B.C.

Police have contacted other relatives and friends of Johnny's, and believe she is still in the company of that person.

MacDonald said police are concerned because Johnny has medical needs which include having to carry an EpiPen for allergic reactions and an inhaler.

She is described as five feet fall, 110 pounds with brown eyes and hair. If anyone has information about her whereabouts, they are asked to contact the Abbotsford Police Department at 605-859-5225

 Ralph John Cumbridge

An undated photo of Ralph John Cumbridge, 57, missing since last Wednesday after he was supposed to board a bus destined for Princeton, B.C.

White Rock man fears father lost after Princeton no-show

By Mike Raptis, The Province August 9, 2011 4:05 PM
Photograph by: Handout, RCMP

26-year-old White Rock resident Colin Cumbridge and his dad Ralph John Cumbridge, 57, had their travel plans all figured out.

Ralph, a former Vancouverite, was supposed to leave Whitehorse, Yukon, on July 29 aboard a Greyhound bus and meet his son in Princeton, B.C., before the pair travelled to the Lower Mainland together.

The problem, Colin says, is his dad didn’t show up.

“This trip really meant a lot to him . . . we had been planning it out for over a year now,” Colin said Tuesday, six days since Ralph went missing.

Neither his family, Whitehorse RCMP, or Greyhound have any indication where he is.

Colin fears that his father — who has mental health issues — could be lost, off his medication, or worse.

“I’m hoping that there’s not some sort of foul play involved. A robbery, getting off the bus at the wrong place, got taken in by a bad señorita or something. All these things are crossing my mind and I have no answers, no clues.”

Colin, who was camping in Princeton awaiting his father’s arrival, stuck around for an extra two days before making his way home.

Sargeant Rogers from the Whitehorse RCMP said police have spoken to Greyhound, searched Ralph’s apartment, and are in the process of making local inquiries and publishing media bulletins “any other places he may have gone to.”

Colin says his dad — who enjoys prospecting, gold panning, and shovelling for minerals — had an open ticket and could’ve stepped off the bus anywhere in B.C.

But Whitehorse RCMP say he may not have got on the bus in the first place.

“We’ve had credible information from people who are familiar with him that believe they’ve seen him around recently,” said Sgt. Rogers.

Ralph’s sister, Noreen Fuller, is worried her brother, who has disappeared in the past, also may not have boarded the bus leaving Whitehorse.

“He was so happy about this trip,” said Fuller. “If he was telling me on the phone numerous times, he could’ve been telling this around town and ... I wonder if someone wanted that ticket.”

While Colin says his dad, a schizophrenic, had enough medication to last him his trip, Fuller isn’t so sure.

“I think he could be psychotic now and, in that case, he would lose all track of time and he would be so disorganized,” she said.

“It’s just been a real stomach-turner for me and my aunt,” said Colin.

A spokesman for Greyhound said Tuesday they have a security team looking into whether Ralph John Cumbridge ever boarded one of their busses.

If anyone has any information, please contact the Whitehorse RCMP.

mraptis@theprovince.com

twitter.com/mike_raptis

Missing Person, Claudia Ho - Update

Ho was found deceased yesterday in Vancouver by officers from the Vancouver Police Department.

At this time it appears that foul play was not a factor in Ho’s death.  Notification of next of kin has been completed.

THE ORIGINAL RELEASE IS FOUND BELOW

Richmond RCMP is requesting the public’s assistance in locating a missing Richmond resident.

On August 1st  thirty year old Claudia Ngar Yee Ho was reported as missing by family members.  Ho was last seen on August 1st at her residence & is described as a Chinese female, 5'2, 95 pounds with shoulder length brown hair & brown eyes.

Ho has been missing before & requires daily medication for an unspecified medical condition.

If you have seen Ho or if you know of Ho’s whereabouts, please contact Cst. Yim at (604)278-1212.  If you wish to remain anonymous, please call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

Wednesday, August 3rd, 2011
File 2011-22901

Missing Person, Claudia Ho

Richmond RCMP is requesting the public’s assistance in locating a missing Richmond resident 

On August 1st thirty year old Claudia Ngar Yee Ho was reported as missing by family members.  Ho was last seen on August 1st at her residence & is described as a Chinese female, 5'2, 95 pounds with shoulder length brown hair & brown eyes.

Ho has been missing before & requires daily medication for an unspecified medical condition.

If you have seen Ho or if you know of Ho’s whereabouts, please contact Cst. Yim at (604)278-1212.  If you wish to remain anonymous, please call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

RCMP have released this photo of 33-year-old Nancy Joyce Swenty, who has been missing from Fisher, Manitoba, since Thursday, July 28, 2011, and may be travelling to B.C. in Swenty's red 1990 Chevrolet S10 pickup truck with Manitoba licence plate BNU 721. Police said Swenty may be accompanied by 51-year-old Russell Gordon McDiarmid, and are asking anyone who sees either of them or the truck to contact their nearest police department or the Fisher RCMP detachment at 1-204-372-8484.Photograph by: Submitted, RCMPManitoba RCMP are asking B.C. residents to keep their eyes open for a 33-year-old woman who disappeared Thursday.

Nancy Joyce Swenty’s family reported her missing when she didn’t show up at work or for her daily coffee break with a family member.

“When someone has a certain habit of doing things, with us anything that departs from the norm with a missing person raises concerns,” said Sgt. Line Karpish with RCMP.

Swenty was last seen at her home in Fisher, Man., July 27 around 5 p.m. Her truck, a red 1990 Chevrolet S10 pickup with the license plate BNU 721, is also gone.

Investigators think she might be with a 51-year-old man named Russell McDiarmid, another Fisher resident who talked recently about wanting to move back to B.C.

Karpish would only say the two “knew each other.”

Police aren’t ruling out that Swenty could have been taken against her will. “Right now, we’re not discounting any possibilities,” Karpish said. “It’s too early.”

McDiarmid hasn’t been reported missing, but no one in the small community has spotted him in recent days.

Police describe Swenty as five-foot-three, around 150 pounds, with a medium build and long, light-brown hair.

McDiarmid has brown hair, brown eyes, stands around five-foot-11, and weighs about 169 pounds.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Fisher RCMP detachment at 1-204-372-8484.

anoel@theprovince.com

© Copyright (c) The Province

So Huy TRAN

Port McNeill RCMP seeking assistance from the public in locating missing man

 File # 2011-799

2011-07-29 10:05 PDT

The Port McNeill RCMP are requesting the public's help in locating a missing person. Sointula resident So Huy TRAN has not been seen or heard from in approximately nine weeks. TRAN , who is Vietnamese and speaks little English, is 59 years old, approximately 5'1, 172 lbs with black hair and brown eyes. TRAN is a Salal harvester by trade and had been working in the North Vancouver Island area. TRAN’s family and the RCMP are requesting that anyone having information on the whereabouts of So Huy TRAN, please contact the Port McNeill RCMP Detachment at (250) 956 - 4441.

CBC News

Posted: Aug 18, 2011 8:33 PM PT

Elena Moise-Hanover

North Vancouver

Missing Woman

File # 2011-18880

2011-07-08 15:18 PDT

North Vancouver RCMP are asking for the public's help in locating a missing North Vancouver resident, Elena Moise-Hanover.

Elena is a 36 year old Caucasian woman who is 5'4" tall and 170 lb., with brown hair and brown eyes.  She was last seen by family on July 4th at around 10AM.  Efforts to call her cell phone have been unsuccessful.

What she was wearing when she went missing is unknown, but she often wears capri pants and a bright coloured top.

Anyone with information about Elena is asked to call the North Vancouver RCMP at (604) 985-1311, and to ask for Constable Ebisawa.  Quote file #2011-18880.

Robert Milwrick

Burnaby BC

Missing elderly Arizona man

File # 2011-29183

2011-07-08 15:01 PDT

The Burnaby RCMP is seeking the public’s assistance in locating Robert Milwrick. He left Victorville California on July 5 with his sister and the two have became separated

The pair left Victorville California on July 5 in Robert’s 1994 Blue GMC Suburban headed for Alaska and they entered Canada on July 7.

On July 8 around 9:00am his sister knocked on a Burnaby resident door on Patterson Avenue. The homeowner called police as it was obvious the elderly woman was confused and disorientated and was alone. She is being treated at a hospital for a medical condition. Robert has not been heard from by family and his whereabouts is unknown.

Description of Robert Milwrick:

He is an 80 year old Caucasian man who is described as being 5’7”, 155lbs, and wears glasses is balding and was last seen wearing blue jeans.

Vehicle Description:

1994 Blue on silver GMC Suburban with Arizona license plate APF 5845 towing a U-Haul 5x8 utility trailer with a North Carolina license plate AA 32508. The photo is a vehicle similar to the missing person’s vehicle.

If you have seen Mr. Robert Milwrick or the vehicle please contact the Burnaby RCMP at (604)294-7922.

Released by

Cpl. Brenda Gresiuk

Orlando Graham

Comox Valley
Update: Search continues for missing teen Orlando Graham
File # 2011-8138
2011-07-06 13:12 PDT
The Comox Valley RCMP have completed an extensive search of land, air and water with the assistance of many other agencies. Unfortunately, the missing 16 year old kayaker, Orlando GRAHAM has not been located.

GRAHAM was last seen leaving in his red kayak from Hornby Island on June 29th, 2011. GRAHAM is approximately 5'9'', 145 lbs., with dark brown curly hair and was wearing a long sleeved green shirt and dark jeans. (Click photo for higher resolutin image)

The rural section members will continue to make patrols of the Hornby Island shoreline along with the assistance of the West Coast Marine Section and Air Section when available.

This file remains under investigation by the Comox Valley's General Investigation Section. GRAHAM is now listed as a missing person and anyone with information is being asked to please contact the Comox Valley RCMP at (250)338-1321 or Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
Comox Valley
Missing Kayaker
 File # 2011-8138
2011-06-30 12:43 PDT
The search continues for a missing 16 year old male kayaker off of Hornby Island.
The Comox Valley RCMP received a request for assistance in locating a 16 year old male whoentered the water at Sandpiper Beach on Hornby Island in his red kayak. The male was seenentering the water in his kayak at approximately 2 p.m on June 29th, 2011, but failed to return  home before dark.
The kayak has since been located ashore at Mushroom beach on Hornby, however the male has yet to be located.
The male, Orlando Graham is a 16 year old caucasian male, about 5'9'', 145 lbs., with dark brown curly hair and was last seen wearing blue jeans and a long sleeve green shirt.
The RCMP along with the Rescue Coordination Center, 442 squadron, Search and Rescuevolunteers and auxiliary Coastguard units are all currently involved in the search for GRAHAM.The search is being conducted by ground, air and water. Hornby Island is a northern Gulf Island located east of Courtenay.
 Anyone with information is asked to contact the Comox Valley RCMP at (250)338-1321.

Police search for missing woman at Thetis Lake

By Larissa Johnston, Times Colonist June 28, 2011 12:01 PM

 A 67-year-old woman is missing in Thetis Lake Park and the search has closed off the park.

Maria Huyben was reported missing Monday evening at 5:30 after leaving a note for her family, said Const. Mark Haggan of Westshore RCMP.

He would not go into details about what the note said, but it led the family and RCMP to find Huyben’s blue Oldsmobile Alero in a corner of the Thetis Lake parking lot.

A purse and cellphone lay on the passenger seat and an angel decoration was hanging from the rearview mirror. A parking violation ticket from Monday morning sat on the dashboard.

Police said they have not moved the vehicle but they do have keys to the car.

The Saanich woman was distraught, her family told RCMP, but there were no signs of an altercation, Haggan said.

A group of about eight family and friends were sitting, looking exhausted, in the parking lot, but did not speak with reporters.

The search began at 7 p.m. Monday night and continued until 3 a.m. this morning. The team began search efforts again at 6 a.m. and have been searching on land and in the water.

Metchosin Search and Rescue, West Shore RCMP, Victoria Police canine unit, Capital Regional District bylaw officers, and the View Royal Fire Department are involved in the search.

ljohnston@timescolonist.com

© Copyright (c) The Victoria Times Colonist

lana Chipesia

Police did confirm that lana's body was found.

The 23-year-old woman whose body was found in the Goat River, ending a missing person’s search, was a hairdresser and mother of two young children.

The body of Lana Sundby Chipesia was found Monday in the Goat River, several kilometres downstream from where her 1997 Pontiac Sunfire was found submerged last week, near the Goat River Bridge, according to RCMP.

“I’m glad that they found her,” said her mother, Darlene Chipesia, from her home in Kitchener, B.C., near Creston. “She is going to be missed.”

Lana was the youngest of Darlene’s six children, which included four sons and one other daughter. Lana’s sister, who lives in Lethbridge, Alta., is hoping to raise Lana’s two children, aged five and two.

Darlene said Lana had gone to college to train as a hairdresser and was working in Creston until she moved with her boyfriend to the Lower Kootenay band reserve to live with his mother.

Lana had been missing since June 18 after police answered a domestic-abuse call. RCMP said at the time she had fled her house before police arrived and her car ended up in the river that same day. They reported skid marks leading off the bridge.

Chipesia’s body was recovered after an RCMP helicopter spotted the remains in shallow water and directed the Cranbrook RCMP police dog team to the location.

Search-and-rescue technician Sheilah Sweatman, 29, of Ymir drowned on June 29, during the operation to recover the vehicle, which was spotted in the swiftly moving waters by a canoeist more than a week after Chipesia disappeared.

The RCMP and B.C. Coroners Service are continuing their investigations.

Update Missing Person Lana Chipesia vehicle recovered from Goat River

Creston B

RCMP seeking assistance in locating Missing Person Alana Chipesia

File # 2011-1733

2011-06-27 19:35 PDT

The Creston RCMP is seeking public assistance in locating a 23 yr Creston woman who has not been seen since June 18th, 2011.   

The Creston RCMP are currently looking for Alana Chipesia, who was last seen on June 18th, 2011 at her personal residence on the Lower Kootenay Band Reserve.  On the 18th of June, Alana Chipesia  was involved in a minor police complaint, which required the attendance of the Creston RCMP to her residence.  Alana Chipesia left the home in a white 1997 Pontiac Sunfire, BC Licence Plate 083-THK, prior to police arrival.

Since the 18th, her family has not had any contact from her.  At this point, her family is concerned about her personal safety and well being.

Alana Chipesia 23 yrs old DOB: 1988-12-10

165 cm, 119 lbs

Shoulder Length Black Hair

Associated to: white 1997 Pontiac Sunfire, BC  Licence Plate 083-THK

Anyone having any knowledge about the location of Ms. Chipesia is asked to contact their local police office or the Creston RCMP at 250-428-9313.

Missing person overdue hiker

The Lytton RCMP seeking public assistance in locating an overdue hiker in the Stein Valley Park area.

Friends of 55 yr old Darcy TURNER, reported the man missing on June 20th, after he failed to return on the anticipated day and date.  The experienced outdoorsman, left on what he described as a vision quest into the Stein Valley Park on June 4, 2011.

Mr TURNER started his excursion in the area of Six Mile, planning to hike three days in, set up camp for several days, and hike out.  His intention was to be picked up by his transportation on June 19, 2011; however, he did not return. Since being reported missing, the RCMP, along with Lytton volunteer search and rescue and Lytton First Nation band members have participated in the search so far.  An RCMP Air Services helicopter has also been utilized.

"Darcy TURNER is known to friends as a private person who sometimes goes on sudden journeys, it is possible that he is no longer in the Park and may concluded his trip in that area.  With that in mind, we ask that if anyone has had contact with Mr Turner since June 20th, that they contact their local police services or the Lytton RCMP" stated Cst Dan Schenkeveld.

 Darcy TURNER is described as a male of Metis descent who is physically fit and in good health.

Approximately five foot eleven inches tall, two hundred pounds, with shoulder length grey hair which is thinning at the crown. He is expected to be unshaven. He may be wearing a blue and black jacket, an orange t-shirt, and khaki pants, he frequently wears a green or turquoise hat, and may be in possession of a blue backpack with a sleeping bag attached and a small blue tarp.

As of Friday June 24, searchers have located shoe imprints that may match those worn by Mr Turner.  The Lytton RCMP and SAR are continuing the search efforts.

Police are requesting Darcy TURNER or anyone with knowledge of his whereabouts contact the Lytton RCMP at 250-455-2225.

Premier Christy Clark to address plight of Aboriginal women

 By Jonathan Fowlie, Vancouver Sun June 19, 2011 7:12 PM

VICTORIA — Premier Christy Clark says she plans to use a meeting of western premiers beginning today to spark a national conversation on how leaders across the country can better protect Aboriginal women from violence.

“Way too many Aboriginal women go missing in this country and we clearly haven’t done enough about it,” Clark said in an interview with The Vancouver Sun this past weekend.

“It’s been a problem that has existed for way too long and we have to recognize that it’s going to take a concerted national approach, not just a provincial approach, to resolve it.”

Clark said she plans to raise the issue when western provincial leaders descend on Yellowknife this afternoon for three days of meetings on a variety of topics.

It will be the beginning of diplomacy-filled week for Clark, who also plans to travel to Ottawa to meet with Prime Minister Stephen Harper on a variety of issues, and then to Toronto for another series of meetings.

On the issue of violence against Aboriginal women, Clark said she wants to specifically push for better coordination between jurisdictions.

“I think most immediately we can talk about coordinating law enforcement. There are things we can do, like flagging specific cases when it’s an Aboriginal woman who’s gone missing,” she said, adding the discussions need to include national first nations organizations as well.

“I think the other thing we need to do is we need to identify the common things that are broken in our system — in our law-enforcement system and our missing persons systems across the west — and see if we can address them,” she added, saying the issue has particular relevance in B.C. because of the women murdered by Robert Pickton, as well as those who have gone missing on the Highway of Tears.

“I think we really have to start that discussion and think urgently about what we can do for Aboriginal women,” she said, adding the solution isn’t limited to law enforcement.

“[This] is not a problem that is unique to British Columbia. For many of these women they are trafficked, in some cases, across our borders. We’re talking about women who live in poverty, facing violence every day,” she added. “So I want to start a national conversation about that and I want to start it with western premiers.”

Grand Chief Ed John of the First Nations Summit said the issue of violence against Aboriginal women is an international one, and agreed it should be discussed by provincial leaders. He said, however, that in addition to the items Clark says she plans to raise, the province also needs to develop a strategy to address the root causes of the problem.

“One of the issues, tangible issues, that we’ve brought forward is this issue of poverty — dealing with child and family poverty, especially in first nations communities,” said John, adding his organization has raised these issues directly with Clark.

“If she’s serious about connecting all of those dots then she needs to make sure there’s a solid plan [to combat poverty] that’s actually doable and achievable and that she has measurable targets,” he added.

“It can’t be just a promise one day and next week there’s some other important thing that comes up and this thing falls by the wayside.”

New Democratic Party leader Adrian Dix said he’s happy to see Clark addressing the issue of violence against Aboriginal women, one he said she has paid little attention to since taking office.

“I’m glad that she’s changed her position on that and that she’s taking those issues more seriously,” he said.

“These are essential issues we should be working on every day,” he added, saying he thinks Clark needs to show a more rigorous dedication to a variety of issues.

“We used to criticize the previous premier for going year to year on ideas of enthusiasm. This premier seems to go from day to day,” he said.

“What I think we need on these issues is serious approaches,” he added.

“It requires more than changing your mind every second month, or every second day.”

Clark said in addition to the issue of safety for Aboriginal women, she also plans to talk to western premiers about B.C.’s role in the country’s economic future.

“One of my causes in all of the meetings I do with other premiers, and with other politicians nationally, is to promote the importance of Asia Pacific for the future of Canada,” she said.

“Because we are, I believe, British Columbia, is the emerging economic engine of the country.”

After meeting with western premiers, Clark will be in Ottawa Thursday, where she will meet with Harper and all members of the Conservative party’s B.C. caucus.

She said one of the key issues she’ll be pushing will be B.C.’s bid for a portion of a multi-billion-dollar shipbuilding contract.

“We’re going to make the point that we want [the contract] and that British Columbia should have it and that we’re capable of fulfilling those orders,” she said.

“It’s being the chief salesman.”

Clark said she will also discuss the province’s desire to move to a harmonized environmental assessment process with the federal government, issues around the softwood lumber agreement, and that she will push for maximum representation as the federal government looks to alter the number of seats in the House of Commons.

“British Columbia is supposed to be getting a whole bunch of new MPs. We want to make sure that we get our fair share, because we are currently under-represented in the House of Commons,” she said.

“We all know politics is a numbers game. The more people you have around the table, the more clout you have,” she added.

“So we need to continue to increase our clout.”

Clark said she will finish her week meeting with Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty in Toronto, and then by addressing prospective investors at the Economic Club of Canada.

“My message will be that the West is going to be the economic engine of this country,” she said, speaking of what she plans to say in the address to Toronto’s business community.

“This is the only part of Canada that faces Asia, so we in British Columbia are the future of this country,” she added.

“Our past economic health has depended on Central Canada. The future depends on British Columbia.”

jfowlie@vancouversun.comPostmedia News

© Copyright (c) The Vancouver Sun

Search ended for missing woman in North Vancouver

By James Weldon, North Shore News June 22, 2011

Police have ended the search for a distraught woman whose vehicle was found abandoned near Lynn Canyon on Saturday.

Yoo Chung Choi vanished Friday after a late-night call to her family that left her loved ones concerned for her safety. When her car was found empty the next day near Lynn Canyon suspension bridge, police launched a search.

"She was very emotionally distressed," said Const. Lindsey Houghton, a spokesman for the Vancouver Police Department. "Without getting into any of the content of the phone call, it's led us to believe that she might be actively looking to harm herself."

Members of North Shore Rescue, the North Vancouver RCMP and park rangers spent much of the weekend scouring the area for Yoo, searching Lynn Creek and the forest around it by foot, by kayak and by helicopter. The Canadian Coast Guard searched the mouth of the creek in case she had fallen in and been swept as far as the ocean.

When no trace of the woman was found by Sunday morning, police terminated the operation. Vancouver's missing persons section is still actively investigating the disappearance and has not eliminated North Vancouver as a possibility, according to the VPD. "We haven't concluded either way," said Houghton. "(But) they didn't feel there would be any further leads or information gathered if they spent more time there."

The missing woman has not made contact with family or used her bank or credit cards since Friday.

Yoo, who is Korean, is five feet two inches tall, 120 pounds with a slim build, long black hair and dark eyes. Anyone who sees her is asked to call 9-1-1 and wait with her until police arrive.

A body found in the area Monday was a man's. No foul play is suspected in that case.

© Copyright (c) North Shore News

Vancouver Police Missing Person investigators are appealing to the public once again for information on the whereabouts of Yoo Chung Choi.

Ms. Choi’s family last had contact with her around 11 p.m. on June 17^th. They are concerned she may be emotionally distressed and that she may try to harm herself.

Ms. Choi is 38 years old, Korean, 5’2” tall, 120 lbs., with a slim build and long dark black hair and brown eyes.  She was last seen wearing a medium length black skirt, blouse and a black rain jacket.

Anyone who sees Yoo Chung Choi is asked to call 9-1-1 and wait with her until police arrive.

Police call off search for Vancouver woman in Lynn Canyon

By Staff Reporter, The Province June 19, 2011 5:21 PM
North Shore Search and Rescue and the North Vancouver RCMP have called off the formal search in Lynn Canyon for a missing Vancouver woman,

Vancouver police had appealed to the public for help in finding the 38-year-old “emotionally distressed” woman, who went missing Friday.

According to police, Yoo Chung Choi’s family has not seen or heard from her since 11 p.m. Friday night and are concerned that Choi may try to hurt herself.

North Vancouver RCMP found Choi’s car parked outside Lynn Valley Park in North Vancouver on Saturday. Mounties, park ranger and North Shore search and rescue searched the park but could not locate the woman. Police are also checking transit stations, taxi companies and hospitals for signs of Choi’s whereabouts.

Choi is Korean with a slim build — at 5-foot-2 and 120 pounds — and has long, black hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a medium length black suit, blouse and black rain jacket.

Anyone who sees Choi is asked to call 9-1-1, and to wait with her until police arrive.

© Copyright (c) The Province

Have you seen Randy Almeida-Martinez?

On May 23, Coquitlam RCMP received a report from a concerned father regarding his missing son. Randy Almeida-Martinez was last seen at his family residence in Coquitlam on May 21st, at 7:00 p.m, at which time Randy left in a taxi and has not been seen or heard from since. Randy’s father does not know any of his friends or where he might hang out.

Randy is unemployed and has a pay as you go cell phone which is out of minutes and turned off. Randy was supposed to attend court on May 24 at the Richmond Court House for a trial in regards to an outstanding assault charge. He now has two unendorsed warrants for assault and fail to appear.

Randy Almeida-Martinez is described as follows:

• 21 year old male,
• Hispanic decent,
• approx. 5'10",175 lbs,
• short dark brown hair with long sideburns, green eyes
• large tattoo of a wizard on his back

He was last seen wearing white jeans and white shoes, unknown type of shirt.

If you have seen Randy Almeida-Martinez or someone of similar description, please contact the Coquitlam RCMP non-emergency reporting line at (604) 945-1550 or your local police department. Anyone wishing to provide information anonymously can contact Crime Stoppers by phone at 1-800-222-8477(TIPS) or online at www.solvecrime.ca

Darren Jansen

Kamloops BC

Police Seeking Information on Missing Youth
File # KCD 2011-8164 2011-04-27 13:31 PDT

The Kamloops RCMP are seeking public assistance in locating and verifying the well being of 17-year-old Darren Jansen who left his north shore home on April 6th with a back pack containing personal items, clothing and approximately $300 dollars in cash.

Jansen is described as being First Nations, but he looks Caucasian, and is 6 feet tall, 180 pounds with brown hair, and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing jeans, a light blue hat, a black jacket with red and white patches. A photo of Jansen is attached.

Jansen has a history of leaving home but has not been gone for this long in the past. Since he departed the Kamloops area, there have been occasional text and face book messages sent by him to friends and family. The initial messages indicated that Jansen was “down at the coast” which is believed to be the Lower Mainland. He is reported to have acquaintances in the Abbotsford area.

The most recent information from family sources suggest the possibility that Jansen may be in the 100 Mile House area with a 17-year-old girlfriend.

Family and friends are concerned and want to ensure that Jansen’s health and welfare needs are being properly maintained. Any information regarding the location of 17-year-old Darren Jansen can be provided to the police agency in your jurisdiction or to Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS. 

UPDATE: Dead woman found in park had been reported missing to VicPD

By Kyle Slavin - Saanich News

Published: June 14, 2011 3:00 PM

Updated: June 14, 2011 3:38 PM

Saanich police have confirmed the identity of the young woman found dead in Colquitz River Park Sunday afternoon.

Information on who she is, however, is currently being withheld at the request of her family.

"During the autopsy, we made a positive, formal identification of the deceased by way of fingerprints," Saanich police Sgt. Dean Jantzen said.

Two Victoria police detectives from the major crimes unit are now helping Saanich with the investigation. The woman, in her early 20s, was reported missing to Victoria police on Friday (June 10) by her boyfriend, said VicPD spokesman Const. Mike Russell. She was last seen more than a week before being reported missing.

"The deceased is known to us," he said, though he would not comment on whether she was part of the street community.

The autopsy, held in New Westminster, was still underway when Jantzen spoke with the media Tuesday afternoon. The forensic pathologist examining the body, which was badly decomposed, had yet to determine how the woman died.

"The cause of death is something that's not immediately apparent to our investigators or the Coroners Service," Jantzen said, reiterating that foul play is suspected.

The park, located behind Tillicum Mall, has been cordoned off since Sunday afternoon with investigators expected to continue to remain at the site until Wednesday.

The woman’s body was found by a young boy walking with his father around 2:15 p.m., Sunday.

"This investigation has been hampered by the length of time that the individual has been there," Jantzen said, adding that another concern is the body was found in a densely overgrown part of the park.

Police will not say whether the body was clothed, or if any personal effects were found nearby.

"We are (aware of) the fact this park is used as a residence (for homeless people), on occasion," Jantzen said, adding there is no evidence suggesting the woman was living in the park.

While the B.C. Corners Service has yet to determine the cause of death, police say there’s no reason right now to issue a public warning

"The parks in Saanich are very safe," Jantzen said. "We recommend that residents exercise vigilance and caution with regards to their own personal safety."

Anyone with information about this incident can call police at 250 475-4321.

kslavin@saanichnews.com

Foul play suspected in Vancouver Island woman’s death

By Katie Derosa and Larissa Johnston, timescolonist.com June 13, 2011 6:02 PM

Saanich police said today the case of a woman’s body found in Colquitz River Park near Tillicum Centre mall on Sunday involves foul play.

Major crime investigators, forensics investigators, a dog team and patrol officers have been in the park and adjacent areas since the body was found around 2:15 p.m.

A boy, aged about 10 or 11, was walking with his father when he discovered the body in dense shrubs off the path, just behind Montana’s Cookhouse.

Police arrived on the scene in Saanich five minutes after the two found the body. The deceased has been there for some time but precisely how long is unknown, said Jantzen.

Saanich police say the person found dead in dense bushes is a woman between 18 and 28-years-old. Her identity is yet unknown but major crime investigators are looking at recent missing person cases to try and find a link, said police spokesman Sgt. Dean Jantzen at a press conference Monday afternoon.

Police are saying the death suspicious and that foul play is involved but are not saying whether it is a murder.

An autopsy is scheduled set for tomorrow in Vancouver which could reveal the cause of death, Jantzen said.

Major crime detectives, forensics investigators and a dog team have been on scene since yesterday and a dive team is about to comb the shallow, murky river. A Saanich search and rescue crew has also been called in.

“Our investigation has been hampered by the length of time the body has been there,” Jantzen said, but would not put a timeline on exactly how long the body was there.

“This young lady was exposed to the elements. The area is well-travelled by wildlife and bugs.”

“Some clothing was found at the scene,” Jantzen said, but would not say whether the woman was partially clothed or whether police suspect sexual assault.

He would not say whether any other personal items like a purse or wallet were found.

Investigators have a large swath of the densely forested park blocked off by police tape and are conducted a more thorough search today.

Officers are canvassing the area for information and checking area businesses for video surveillance that might have captured any suspicious activity, Jantzen said.

Jantzen said it’s still too early to determine if the public is at risk.

Colquitz park is closed to the public as police investigate.

The park is known for such activities as illicit drinking of alcohol, “but nothing serious like this,” Jantzen said.

No related incidents have happened in the area, Jantzen said.

Anyone with information about the incident or who witnessed anything suspicious in the Colquitz park in the past days are asked to call the Saanich Police major crime tip line at 250-475-4356.

Quesnel
Missing Person: Greywolf ILDZI

File # 2011-3564
2011-06-03 12:36 PDT

Quesnel RCMP are seeking public and media assistance in locating 32 year old, Greywolf Dancingman ILDZI (pronounced ild-zee). ILDZI, who was previously known as Darren CUNNINGHAM, was last seen at approximately 10:15 am on April 26, 2011 in the Red Bluff area of Quesnel, British Columbia. ILDZI who resides in Hobbema, Alberta had been in Quesnel visiting. He was reported missing by family members who have not heard or seen from him since. They are very concerned for his safety and mental well being and urge him to make contact with loved ones as soon as possible.

ILDZI was last seen driving a four door maroon 1993 Oldsmobile Achieva bearing Alberta license plate “BCM6053" and may be heading to Alberta - possibly Edmonton or Hobbema.

Inquiries have been made with family, friends and places he is known to frequent, all with negative results.

ILDZI is described as a 32 year old Native male with short greying dark hair and brown eyes with glasses. He is 5 foot 9 inches tall and weighs approximately 205 pounds. Anyone with any information regarding Greywolf ILDZI is asked to contact the Quesnel RCMP immediately at 250-992-9211

Dusten McMillan aka. Dusten Payne

24 years old - Approximatly 5'9''-5'10 - Blue Eyes -Thin Build. 

Dusten has a tattoo of a cross on his right middle finger, Grim Reaper on his left upper arm, he has an unfinished tattoo of "Hi gh Life" on his right upper arm. He has pierced ears but may not have rings in.

Please look out for Dusten McMillan/ Payne he has been missing since Oct. 2010 last seen by police in Edmonton remand center, his family and friends are very worried about him if you have any information on his where abouts please email or call the edm. police right away please pass this on to all your friends and family as well.. 

Please contact the police with any information or even if you think you have seen him, he could be anywhere in Canada... 

Date:  June 7, 2011                                                                                        

File#: 2011-1508

Parents of Madison Scott issue statement

Vanderhoof, BC:   As the search continues to locate 20 year old Madison Scott, her parents wish to speak to the media today and issue as statement.

Date: Tuesday June 7, 2011

Time: 1:00 p.m.

Location:  Omineca Safe House (across the street – west of Vanderhoof RCMP Detachment)Address: 2501 Church Avenue, Vanderhoof, BC  (use south access door)

Their statement will be issued and posted to the BC RCMP website after the media availability.  Sgt. Rob Vermeulen is in Vanderhoof to assist the family and will be at the available to answer any media questions about the on-going police efforts.   No information will be released prior to the availability.  

Released for: Sgt. Rob Vermeulen

"E" Division Strategic Communications Section

Office: (604) 264-2929

File # 2011-1508 / ND MCU 2011-4852
2011-06-21 09:51 PDT
Statement released on Tuesday June 21, 2011 by Dawn and Eldon Scott, Parents of Madison Scott in Vanderhoof.

My name is Dawn Scott and my husband Eldon. We are the parents of 20 year old Madison Scott. Our daughter Maddy was last seen on Saturday May 28th out at Hogsback Lake, just south of our hometown of Vanderhoof.

While we continue to receive outstanding support from our friends and the community, and the RCMP continues to follow up on information and tips - we have not been able to locate our daughter.

Therefore, we would like to announce that we are offering a reward of up $15,000 for information leading to the safe return of our daughter Madison Scott.

We are hopeful and continue to believe that someone out there has the information we need to bring our daughter home. Please, search your heart, search your mind and review your memory and call the RCMP with any bit of information you may have.

Call the Vanderhoof RCMP at (250) 567-2222. Or if you wish to remain anonymous, call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS, where you may also be eligible for a reward for information.

We love our daughter. We need her back home. We need to find her. Please help us.

Thank-you.

Reward Poster Issued by Scott Family. Click here to view.

Police update:

This investigation remains a priority for the North District Major Crime Unit and the Vanderhoof RCMP.

Investigators remain in town following up on the over 500 tasks generated by this file and from information received to date.

The investigation has determined that there are two items that have yet to be recovered, that may assist in locating Madison Scott. Police are looking for her new IPhone 4 that had a bluish green or turquoise shell/skin cover. Police are also looking for Madison’s keys. They are described as a large bundle with a Ford truck key on it. It may or may not be on a black gothic-themed lanyard. These two items were last seen in Madison’s possession and have not been located, despite a massive search effort by Search and Rescue personnel and volunteers.

Police are aware that the Scott family has announced that they are issuing a $15,000 reward for information leading to the safe return of Madison. Police believe that someone out there has that critical piece of information needed and are also appealing to the public to come forward and speak to us.

Police are asking anyone who may have seen Madison or may know of her whereabouts to contact the Vanderhoof RCMP immediately at (250) 567-2222 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).

http://kicksbutt.ca/find_madison_scott/

Vanderhoof

Update: Search continues for 20 year old Madison Scott

File # 2011-1508

2011-06-02 10:17 PDT

Efforts continue as the RCMP works to locate 20 year old Madison Scott. Search and Rescue will conduct further searches of some roadways in the vicinity of Hogsback Lake over the next few days. The family and friends of Madison Scott have now mounted an extensive search effort that expands on the work already done by Search and Rescue personnel. The family asked the RCMP to pass along that they wish to thank Vanderhoof area residents for their generous financial support for the helicopter that has been used in their search effort.

The RCMP Forensic Identification Section has examined the camping area, and the RCMP Underwater Recovery Team (URT) has been called to assess the lake for a possible underwater search.

Investigators continue to speak to those who attended the parties at Hogsback Lake on Friday May 27th and Saturday May 28th, and once again ask that anyone who may have been camping in the campsite area to contact police as they may have relevant information.

Madison Scott is described as 20 year old Caucasian, 5 foot 4, 170 lbs with ginger hair. She was last seen wearing a black t-shirt and blue jean Capri pants. She was driving an off-white early 1990s model F-150 pickup truck and had a two-tone blue tent.

Police are asking anyone who may have seen Madison or may know of her whereabouts to contact the Vanderhoof RCMP immediately at (250) 567-2222

Vanderhoof

Update: Police conduct search for 20 year old Madison Scott

File # 2011-1508

2011-05-31 13:48 PDT

Investigative efforts continue in the search for 20 year old Madison Scott from Vanderhoof. Madison was reported missing on Sunday May 29th when she failed to return from a party at Hogsback Lake about 25 km south of Vanderhoof.

Vanderhoof RCMP along with Search and Rescue Teams from Vanderhoof, Prince George, Burns Lake and Fort St. James conducted extensive air, water and ground searches on Sunday and all day Monday. Upwards of 150 volunteers searched, including horseback patrols, of the shorelines, walking and ATV trails and the logging roads in the area. Water areas were also explored with boats and side scanning sonar. Despite search efforts of the area, Madison is still missing.

At this time a physical search of the area has been suspended until new information can be obtained that would allow searchers to focus their efforts in another direction than already considered.

The investigation has determined that Madison attended a party on Friday night in an area well known and used by locals. The area is a former Forestry campsite, which also has a parking lot and boat launch area. Madison was last seen by those at the party around 3:00 a.m. Saturday. Police also know that another party was held there Saturday night. RCMP would like to speak to anyone who may have attended either party, was camping in the area or was in the area over the weekend for recreational purposes.

“We believe someone who was in the area this weekend may have seen Madison or even spoken to her, “says Sgt. Rob Vermeulen, spokesperson with E Division. “It is important that we determine what happened that night, what her plans were for Saturday and the rest of the weekend. We have conducted some interviews, but it is important that we speak to anyone and everyone who will help piece together the bigger picture. We still have many questions as does Madison’s family”.

Vanderhoof RCMP along with members of the North District Major Crime investigators continues to make this a priority investigation.

Madison Scott is described as 20 year old Caucasian, 5 foot 4, 170 lbs with ginger hair. She was last seen wearing a black t-shirt and blue jean Capri pants. She was driving an off-white early 1990s model F-150 pickup truck and had a two-tone blue tent; both were left at the site and are now in police custody.

Police are asking anyone who may have seen Madison or may know of her whereabouts to contact the Vanderhoof RCMP immediately at (250) 567-2222.

Vanderhoof

Police conduct search for 20 year old Madison Scott
 File # 2011-1508

2011-05-30 10:44 PDT

Vanderhoof RCMP are seeking the public’s assistance as efforts continue in the search for 20 year old Madison Scott.

Madison left Vanderhoof on Friday May 27th to attend a party in Hogsback Lake, approximately 25 km south of Vanderhoof. She was last seen by those at the party around 3:00 a.m. Saturday morning. Her family called RCMP on Sunday afternoon to advise that she had not returned home and they had not heard from her. Madison has also not reached out to friends and her lack of communications is out of character and has those that love her very concerned.

Police did attend the site and have located her tent and truck, but search efforts to date have not managed to find Madison.

Madison Scott is described as 20 year old Caucasian, 5 foot 4, 170 lbs with ginger hair. She was last seen wearing a black t-shirt and blue jean Capri pants.

The RCMP along with Search and Rescue Teams from Vanderhoof, Prince George, Burns Lake and Fort St. James RCMP will resume search efforts today of the rural area and weather conditions are good. A Swift Water Rescue team has also been called in to assist.

Police are asking anyone who may have seen Madison or may know of her whereabouts to contact them immediately at (250) 567-2222.

‘If they found Rene that’s Krystle right beside her’
Aunt feels second skull found at Grande Prairie will confirm fate of her missing niece 
By BRENT WITTMEIER AND JEANNE ARMSTRONGJ, edmontonjournal.com June 10, 2011 8:02 PM

EDMONTON - Doris Goulet hasn’t seen her niece, Krystle Knott, for more than six years. But Knott’s clothes, boom box and journal are still at Goulet’s High Prairie home, serving as a time capsule of Knott’s 16-year-old self before she went missing.

Goulet still thinks of Knott as “just a little girl.”

She needs only to flip through one of her niece’s school notebooks from Grade 4 to find “Krystle’s friendship page” ­— feel-good entries about Knott, written by her classmates.

“Sometimes I like Krystle, because when the time comes where someone is hurt, she’s there,” reads one entry. Others describe Knott as “kind,” “funny” and “cheerful.”

“She’s a people person,” Goulet said.

Knott’s aunt has been waiting to hear about her niece’s whereabouts since Krystle went missing with 19-year-old Rene Gunning more than six years ago.

On Thursday, RCMP’s Project KARE identified one of two skulls found by a group of campers in Grande Prairie last month as that of Gunning, and Goulet worried she had her answer.

Gunning and Knott were last seen at West Edmonton Mall in February 2005. They had reportedly told friends they planned to hitchhike to either Fort St. John or Dawson Creek, B.C.

Goulet is nearly convinced the second skull belongs to her niece, because she thinks Gunning and Knott left the mall together that day.

“If they found Rene, that’s Krystle right beside her,” she said. The identity of the first skull was confirmed by a medical examiner through Gunning’s dental records.

Goulet said she helped raise Knott from the time she was a baby. The girl lived on and off with her aunt until she was 14. Goulet said her niece wasn’t getting along with her parents who lived in Dawson Creek, and that Knott ran away from home in early 2005.

While Goulet is waiting for confirmation of the identity of the second skull, Gunning’s family absorbed the news they had long dreaded.

“I’ve been living with this for the last six and a half years, every day, and trying to prepare myself,” Jo Gunning said Thursday night, after the RCMP’s Project KARE confirmed that the remains of his daughter were found.

“I thought I was prepared for it, but I’m not. The emotions are pretty overwhelming.”

After learning the news, Gunning immediately drove 170 kilometres home to be with family in Fort St. John. Visitors came to his home, where they held a smudging ceremony, sang and beat a drum.

Gunning spent the rest of the evening on the phone, listening to friends and family tell him how his daughter had touched their lives.

“It’s overwhelming,” he said. “People were telling me different things, and the biggest thing was that she was a caring, loving person.”

Gunning admits he’s still in shock. It will take days to process what happened before he can work “on the closure part of this.”

There will be a memorial service in Fort St. John, Rene’s hometown. Gunning will also come to Edmonton and walk the grounds of Henrietta Muir Edwards Park, where investigators recently believed his daughter might be buried.

After the remains are released, the family will plan a summer trip to Rene’s resting place near Grande Prairie to hold a vigil.

In all of this, Gunning wants to celebrate his daughter, “her personality, her vibrancy, the way she handled things.”

He saw glimpses of Rene Thursday evening in his seven-year-old grandson D’Andre, who was just over a year old when his mother disappeared. D’Andre has his mom’s eyes, Gunning said, and was hugging distraught family members. It was just like Rene, who knew how to make things better.

Gunning has been looking after D’Andre since his daughter disappeared.

“My daughter gave me this gift. I get a daily reminder of Rene; there’s a piece of her right there with me,” said Gunning. “As D’Andre gets older, I’ll be able to tell him stories to keep her memory alive.”

The deaths are considered suspicious and the investigation continues to be led by Project KARE.

RCMP is requesting information about possible sightings in February 2005 of Gunning and Knott along Highway 16 and Highway 43 between Edmonton and the Forestry Trunk Road. They are also asking for information on the pair’s known hangouts or activities, any known acquaintances, and any other information that may help the investigation. The Project KARE tip line is 1-877-412-KARE.

bwittmeier@edmontonjournal.com

jarmstrong@edmontonjournal.com

© Copyright (c) The Edmonton Journal

Rene Gunning’s father mourns lost daughter

Remains discovered near Grande Prairie identified as young woman missing since 2005

By Brent Wittmeier, edmontonjournal.com June 10, 2011 12:03 PM

 EDMONTON - Jo Gunning was at work Thursday afternoon when two police officers approached him with the news he had been dreading.

The remains of his daughter — missing for over six years — had been found.

Rene Gunning disappeared Feb. 18, 2005. She was 19 when she was last seen outside West Edmonton Mall with 16-year-old Krystle Knott. The two girls told friends of plans to hitchhike to either Fort St. John or Dawson Creek, B.C.

They were never seen again.

“I’ve been living with this for the last six and a half years, every day, and trying to prepare myself,” Gunning said Thursday night.

“I thought I was prepared for it, but I’m not. The emotions are pretty overwhelming.”

On the May long weekend, a group of campers from Grande Prairie discovered two skulls in a well-known area a half-hour southeast of the city.

Police began days of forensic work at the scene. The skulls were sent to the medical examiner’s office in Edmonton.

Police notified Project Kare, an RCMP-led police team investigating deaths and disappearances of women living high-risk lifestyles. Project Kare had taken on the cases of Gunning and Knott in July 2007 because they regularly hitchhiked. The pair were not believed to be involved in prostitution.

RCMP spokesman Tim Taniguchi confirmed Thursday that one of the skulls was positively identified by the medical examiner as Rene Gunning. The second skull would require more tests before it could be identified, Taniguchi said.

After getting the news, Gunning immediately drove 170 kilometres home to be with family in Fort St. John. Visitors came to his home. They held a smudging ceremony, sang and beat a drum.

He spent the rest of the evening on the phone, listening to friends and family tell him how his daughter had touched their lives.

“It’s overwhelming,” said Gunning. “People were telling me different things, and the biggest thing was that she was a caring, loving person.”

Gunning admits he’s still in shock. It will take days to process what happened before he can work “on the closure part of this.”

There will be a memorial service in Fort St. John, Rene’s hometown. Gunning will also come to Edmonton and walk the grounds of Henrietta Muir Edwards Park, where investigators recently believed his daughter might be buried.

And after the remains are released, the family will plan a summer trip to Rene’s resting place near Grande Prairie to hold a vigil.

In all of this, Gunning wants to celebrate his daughter, “her personality, her vibrancy, the way she handled things.”

Jo saw glimpses of Rene Thursday evening in his seven-year-old grandson D’Andre, who was just over a year old when his mother disappeared. D’Andre has his mom’s eyes, Gunning said, and was hugging distraught family members. It was just like Rene, who knew how to make things better.

Gunning has been looking after D’Andre since his daughter disappeared.

“My daughter gave me this gift. I get a daily reminder of Rene; there’s a piece of her right there with me,” said Gunning. “As D’Andre gets older, I’ll be able to tell him stories to keep her memory alive.”

Gunning and Knott disappeared two months before 13-year-old Nina Courtepatte was lured from West Edmonton Mall, raped and left for dead on a Stony Plain golf course.

Five people were later charged in Courtepatte’s death.

bwittmeier@edmontonjournal.com

Missing girl's skull ID'd

EDMONTON - One of two skulls found near Grande Prairie, Alta., is that of 19-year-old Rene Lynn Gunning, missing along with her 16-year-old friend since 2005.

The second skull found May 21 by campers 60 km south of Grande Prairie has not yet been positively identified, say RCMP.

The Edmonton Medical Examiner's office identified Gunning through dental records.

"The deaths are considered suspicious and the investigation continues to be led by Project KARE," said RCMP spokesman Sgt. Tim Taniguchi.

Gunning was last reportedly seen on February 18, 2005, at the West Edmonton Mall.

She was last seen with Krystle Knott, then 16, who is still missing.

The initial investigation revealed that on February 18, 2005, Gunning and Knott told their respective friends that they were going to hitchhike together back to either Dawson Creek or Fort St. John, B.C.

Then they vanished.

In 2007, their disappearance became a Project KARE case. The RCMP-led task force is probing nearly 70 deaths and disappearances of northern Albertans who led high-risk lifestyles.

Police say that while there's nothing to suggest the teens were involved in prostitution, the fact that they were hitchhiking long distances was enough to involve Project KARE.

Though they were in Edmonton when reportedly last seen, Knott lived in Dawson Creek, B.C., and Gunning lived in Fort St. John, B.C.

Investigators have said they didn't know each other until they met at West Edmonton Mall on Feb. 18.

KARE investigators are asking anyone to come forward with any information about seeing the young women on the highway, about their friends and anything else that can help with the investigation.

Missing British Columbia women believed seen in West Edmonton Mall

Edmonton, Alberta  2008 FEB 17

Missing British Columbia women believed seen in West Edmonton Mall, February 2005

Project KARE investigators working in collaboration with RCMP investigators from British Columbia and the Edmonton Police Service are attempting to determine the whereabouts of two women from Fort St. John and Dawson Creek, BC that are believed missing, under suspicious circumstances.

The efforts of investigators have yet to determine the whereabouts or current circumstances of either missing female. However, it is believed they were last seen in Edmonton on February1 8, 2005. While it is not known why either subject initially went missing, given the length of time without contact, both disappearances are being treated as suspicious. Information concerning both subjects believed to be credible and reliable is being released to the public in an effort to generate additional tips to assist in determining their whereabouts or the circumstances of their disappearance. Both women are listed on www.albertamissingpersons.ca

Rene Lynn Gunning

- Born in May, 1985

- Female, First Nations

- 5’2” (157 cm) - 111 lbs (50 kg)

- Black hair, chin length

- Brown eyes

- Tattoos; moon/star, in black ink, on her back

- Mole; on her chin and upper lip

- Last known to be wearing;

o   Commonly wore a hoodie

o   2 inch wide, black bracelet with small silver spikes

o   Pink & grey ‘Power’ running shoes

o   Dark colored ‘spongebob’ backpack

Krystle Ann Julia Knott

- Born in February, 1989

- Female, First Nations

- 5’1” (155 cm)

- 121 lbs (55kg)

- Black hair, may have been dyed dark blonde or may have blonde streaks - Brown eyes

- Tattoos; cherry heart on her ankle

- Piercings; lower lip and ears

- Aliases;

o   Krystle Vankoughnett

o   Krystle Goulet

o   Krystle Letendre

- Last known to be wearing”

o   Black pants

o   Black tank top and a fishnet shirt

o   Black boots

o   White jacket

On February 17, 2005, Rene Gunning hitchhiked from Fort St. John, BC via Grande Prairie, Alberta eventually arriving at West Edmonton Mall. She was last seen on February 18, 2005 in the presence of Krystle Knott. Knott arrived in Edmonton around the beginning of February 2005. Investigators have been able to determine that the two women did not know each other prior to their arrival at the mall on February 18, 2005. They may have become acquainted through as yet unknown circumstances. At some point on February 18^th the pair told their respective friends that they were hitchhiking back to either Dawson Creek or Fort St. John, BC. Since that date, there has not been any confirmed sighting of or contact with either subject. It is not known if the pair actually departed the mall area on February 18^th or if they may have spent an unknown period of time hanging out at the mall or with, as yet unidentified, new friends.

Investigators are satisfied, based on their investigation, that neither Gunning nor Knott had any involvement in the Sex Trade, no evidence has been found to support this. The fact that they relied on hitch-hiking to enable their inter-provincial travels placed them at a greater risk of becoming victims of a violent crime.

Project KARE became directly involved with the investigation in July 2007, as aspects of Gunning’s and Knott’s lifestyles and the circumstances of their disappearances fall with in the project’s “high risk lifestyle” mandate and their disappearances may have occurred in Alberta.

While investigators appreciate that three years has passed by since the pair were last known to have been seen, they are hopeful that someone with information will be able pass along their details to investigators. Anyone able to pass along information is encouraged to contact:

- Crime Stoppers, toll free at 1 – 800 – 222 – 8477 (TIPS),

- Project KARE , locally at 495 – 5273 (KARE), or

- Project KARE, toll free at 1 – 877 – 412 – 5273 (KARE)

      Details could include but should not be limited to information that may assist in determining: - The activities of Gunning and Knott around February 2005, or any point thereafter, - What means they may have used to travel from Edmonton around February 18, 2005, - Any known hangouts or activities,

- Any known acquaintances,

- Anything about either young woman, or

- Any recent sightings of Gunning or Knott.

If either Rene Gunning or Krystle Knott learns of our interest in their well being we hope that they will call one of the numbers provided or the local police service of jurisdiction to inform investigators as to their current circumstances.

Media contact:

Wayne A. Oakes, Cpl.

780 – 412 – 5260 Business

Media Relations Officer

RCMP “K” Division

Media & Communications Services

Chase

Neskonlith resident missing

File # 2011-929 - 2011-05-10 09:41 PDT

The RCMP, family, and friends of Neskonlith Band member, 30-year-old Neskie

Arrow Manuel, are actively searching for him and asking for public assistance.

In the early morning hours of May 8, 2011, Neskie Manuel walked away from a family camping trip at a campsite in the west end of Neskonlith Lake near Chase, BC. He left behind his personal belongings including his cell phone and has not been seen or heard from since.

Family and friends searched the camp area before contacting Chase RCMP Detachment in the evening of Neski’s disappearance. On May 9th, Chase RCMP supported by Kamloops Air Services conducted an air search, while Kamloops Ground Search and Rescue commenced their efforts with help from over 100 community volunteers.

Neskie is described as:

- Native male

- 6'0" tall

- 180 pounds

- Brown eyes

- Short black hair

At the time of his disappearance, Neskie was wearing glasses, blue jeans, grey sweater, and dark Nike running shoes which may have an orange Nike “swoosh” on the sides. Attached is a photo taken of Neskie that weekend, with the clothes he was last seen wearing.

Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Neskie Manuel is asked to call the Chase RCMP at 250-679-3221 or their local police department

B.C. family has no peace 30 years after daughter, 16, disappears

Verna Bjerky was 16 when she disappeared 30 years ago. Her family finds no peace

By Glenda Luymes, The Province May 8, 2011 1:41 PM

In the frantic first days, they searched for a body.

Now they look for bones. Thirty years ago, 16-yearold Verna Bjerky disappeared while hitchhiking from Hope to visit her boyfriend in Kamloops.

She has never been found, despite dozens of searches by family and friends.

"We'll never stop looking," says Verna's mother, Clara Chrane.

But at 73 years old, Chrane admits to a need for emotional closure.

"We never had any kind of service. Thirty years have passed and nothing is finished." She pauses. "I don't know if finished is the right word. It will probably never be finished."

Even so, on Thursday, May 12 -Verna's birthday -family and friends will gather for a memorial service that three decades without answers has denied her. They will tell stories about an outgoing "golden-haired" teenager and likely relive the day she disappeared.

It was Saturday, May 2, 1981a sunny day in a spring darkened by the recent disappearances of several B.C. children. Police were beginning to suspect a serial killer was at work.

Verna, just 10 days shy of her 17th birthday, had plans to visit her boyfriend in Kamloops. The buses were on strike, but she told her mother she had a ride.

"I had a feeling," says Chrane. "I told her that, if her ride fell through, she shouldn't hitchhike."

But that's exactly what happened, says Verna's best friend, Cathy Lamberton.

"We had hitchhiked to Kamloops before. That was Verna. She was daring, not scared of anything."

Cathy believes the two friends had been picked up by Clifford Olson on another Kamloops road trip a few days before May 2.

"When he was arrested in August, I saw his picture and immediately recognized him. He was a creep. He kept offering us drinks and peanuts."

But the teens returned home safely, and this time, Verna hit the road alone.

After spending Friday night at Cathy's place in Hope, she got up late, showered and prepared to go.

"Before she left, I gave her a steak knife," recalls Cathy. "I said, 'If anything happens, you use this.'

"I never saw her again."

We are having a memorial to Verna now because, as of May 2, it has been 30 years since she disappeared. We have never been able to have a funeral for her and want to finally have a public remembrance for her, both as some sense of closure for her family and friends, and also as a reminder to all that she existed and was lost to us. We have never stopped searching for her, and her case still remains open today.

She was born in 1964, and as of May 12 this year she would have been 47. She disappeared 10 days before her 17th birthday, and we are certain that she died the same day she went missing. We chose to have her memorial on her birthday, not her death day.

We do not like to give publicity to the serial child killer of those days, but please know that she went missing with at least 14 other children at that time and have no doubt that she was one of those victims. The case was solved for most of those families, but not all, and Verna's case remains in limbo to this day.

I still miss Verna terribly. She was only four years younger than me, so we spent our whole childhoods together in Yale, along with my brother Dan, whose age was right in between us.

Verna was fearful yet brave, with a temper (a little spitfire in any fight), and was also sensitive and artistic. She liked to draw and paint and wrote a small amount of poetry. She had a great sense of humour and loved babies and animals. She adored our new baby sisters, Gladys and Glennie, when they were born at the turn of the 1970s. (Just as an aside, my youngest sister, Glennie, was killed on her motorcycle in 1988 at the age of 18 -a double blow for my already-grieving mother.) We have matching pink granite headstones for them, even though Verna is not there.

Verna was the sweet little blond girl with hazel eyes and clear skin that tanned in a minute. It was inevitable that she would be the favourite of our relatives and babysitters -everyone doted on her. Perhaps my brother and I were a little jealous. I know that whenever we watched our beloved horror movies, we would proceed to scare the heck out of her, never dreaming that she would one day have a reason for true terror, and I deeply regret frightening her as a child.

When Verna grew into her teens, she also grew very independent. Times were different in the late 1970s. We had various jobs, mostly in restaurants, hitchhiked to those jobs all the time; and quit school before graduating. I left home at 16, and Verna left at 14. . . .

On May 2, 1981, Verna was staying in Hope with her friend Cathy Lamberton. She chose to hitchhike to Kamloops. . . . We know she did not make it very far. . . .

My family went through a lot trying to deal with her disappearance and also dealing with bureaucracy and attempts to make the police believe us at first. . . .

This has been a painful journey for all of us. . . .

So, after 30 years, this is probably our final public chapter in Verna's case, although we will, of course, keep remembering her publicly on May 2 and 12, and every day in our hearts.

And there is always the hope that her remains will be found one day. We keep praying for that, too.

On the Tuesday morning, Chrane went to Cathy's door, looking for Verna, who hadn't arrived in Kamloops.

They went to the police together. They also drove to Kamloops, searching the roadside.

On Mother's Day, Chrane took her three daughters and drove the road again, "searching every side road we could find," recalls Verna's elder sister, Irene Bjerky. "We all knew something terrible had happened to Verna . . . it was not like her to go anywhere without telling anyone."

In August 1981, Olson was arrested and later confessed to killing 11 B.C. children and teens. On the day Verna disappeared, the body of Olson's third victim, 16-year-old Daryn Todd Johnsrude, who disappeared in April 1981, was found at the bottom of an embankment in Deroche, on the north side of the Fraser River on Highway 7.

In October 1981, some of Verna's personal belongings were found eight kilometres from Hope, also on the north side of the Fraser River. Crown prosecutors identified Verna as a likely Olson victim, but charges were never pursued.

Years later, Olson claimed to have knowledge of Verna's murder, along with the deaths of 11 additional young people. When authorities declined to pay for the information, he did not reveal the location of her body.

To this day, both Chrane and Cathy Lamberton believe that Olson is responsible for Verna's death.

Over the years, they have searched the banks of the Fraser River dozens of times, hoping to make a discovery that is difficult to even contemplate.

But the area has changed -"there's more houses, more gates," says Chrane. "There's not much we can do any more."

Sometimes, Verna's mother runs over the desolate river terrain in her mind.

"I often think back to a place and wish we had gone a little farther. It nags at me."

Verna's younger sister, Gladys Chrane, admits she's always searching.

"When I dig in my back yard, I'm looking," she says.

In February of this year, a body was found on the north side of the Fraser near Hope. Verna's family was hopeful, until it was identified as a missing Chilliwack man.

Gladys Chrane says she thinks Thursday's memorial service will bring a measure of peace.

"It's time to do this," she says. "I think my mom deserves it. I think Verna deserves it."

Irene Bjerky says the memorial will likely be the final public chapter in Verna's case, "although we will, of course, keep remembering her . . . every day in our hearts."

gluymes@theprovince.com

twitter.com/prov_valleygirl

Verna Bjerky's missing-persons file remains with Chilliwack RCMP. Anyone with information is asked to call 604-792-4611

The memorial service is planned for Thursday, May 12, from 2 to 3 p.m. at the Church of St. John the Divine in Yale. For more information, visit the Verna Bjerky Memorial Site on Facebook.

© Copyright (c) The Victoria Times Colonist

Janice DEMKIW

File: 2011-51219 - Date: 2011-05-05
Surrey RCMP are requesting the public’s help in locating a missing Surrey female.    
Janice DEMKIW was dropped off at the Gateway Skytrain Station in Surrey on April 18th and reported missing to police three days later. She was last seen in the Royal Oak Avenue and Kingsway area in Burnaby on April 23rd.

Investigators believe she may be in the Vancouver area. She is described as 4'10", 90 lbs, with brown hair and hazel eyes. In the past, DEMKIW has had substance abuse issues. Family and friends are concerned for her health and well-being. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Surrey RCMP Missing Persons Unit at 604-599-0502 Crime Stoppers if you wish to remain anonymous at 1-800-222-8477.

Cynthia Sue Dupont

Police seek help finding missing Vernon woman

By Roger Knox - Vernon Morning Star
Published: April 27, 2011 9:00 AM

The Vernon-North Okanagan RCMP are asking the public’s assistance in locating a Vernon woman who has not had contact with her family since early April.

Cynthia Sue Dupont, 43, was reported to RCMP as missing on April 23, although she had not been seen by family for a couple of weeks prior.

Dupont is described as a Caucasian woman, five-foot-seven and weights 125-pounds. She has blonde hair and brown eyes.

Police say Dupont has had struggles in the past around addictions,

Anyone with information on her whereabouts is asked to contact the nearest RCMP Detachment or police department.

Missing girl may be with mom in B.C.

 By FRANK LUBA, The Province - April 27, 2011 10:02 AM

UPDATE MAY 6-11

May 06, 2011 07:03 ET

Missing Children Society of Canada: Reward Offer Closes at Midnight in Pearl Gavaghan Da Massa Case

Information from Missing Children Society Canada
http://www.mcsc.ca/NewsDetail.aspx?ID=64
Information received in the Pearl Gavaghan Da Massa case points to the possibility that the missing girl and her abductor may have travelled across Canada and are in hiding in British Columbia, possibly in the Vancouver area. The Missing Children Society of Canada (MCSC) made the announcement

 today from its headquarters in Calgary, Alberta.

Today's release of information in the case follows MCSC's announcement at a press conference in Toronto earlier this month of a $10,000 reward for information leading to the missing girl's whereabouts. The reward offering is scheduled to expire next week on May 6th. While the organization has received several tips since the announcement, including new photos of the pair, the reward for information remains up for grabs.
"We're still looking for that key piece of information," said Ted Davis, MCSC investigator and former police detective. "The window is closing on this reward offer. If you have any information, now would be a good time to come forward."
The reward announcement was originally made on April 6th, which was Pearl's 7th birthday - a day that should be spent with family and friends - something that this little girl is being deprived of.
It has been over 2 years since the little girl vanished from the United Kingdom. Pearl Rose Gavaghan Da Massa was taken by her mother, Helen Gavaghan, who had joint custody with the child's father, Henry Da Massa. Since December 9, 2008, Helen has been on the run with the child and hiding from authorities. There were sightings of them in Toronto last summer, and they may still be in the Toronto area or have ties to the area. Helen may be using aliases of Dana Flaherty or Meta International. Pearl may be known as Belle Flaherty.
"Pearl is out there, and her well-being is in danger. Her identity is not her own," explained Amanda Pick, Executive Director of MCSC. "Someone knows where Pearl is. We're offering the chance to help Pearl, and to collect a sizeable reward in return."
Anyone with information can contact MCSC confidentially through their 24-hour toll-free TIP line at 1-800-661-6160 or by email at tips@mcsc.ca. Conditions and information about the reward are available on MCSC's website at www.mcsc.ca.
PEARL GAVAGHAN DA MASSA'S CASE PROFILE:
Full Name: Pearl Rose Gavaghan Da Massa
Alias: Belle Flaherty
Date of Birth: April 6, 2004
Current Age: 7 years
Eyes: Green / Brown (Hazel)
Hair: Light brown, long, wavy
Height: 110cm / 3'8"
Missing Since: December 9, 2008
Name: Helen Gavaghan
Aliases: Dana Flaherty, Meta International
Date of Birth : June 14, 1977
Current Age : 33 years
Eyes : Green/brown
Hair : Black, long, straight
Height : 165cm / 5'5"
Helen may be wearing glasses and may have changed her hair colour and style and is known to wear wigs. She may offer unofficial childcare services.
BOTH HAVE BRITISH ACCENTS

Pearl Rose Gavaghan Da Massa (right), who is now seven, vanished from the U.K. on Dec. 9, 2008, when she was taken away by her mother, Helen Gavaghan (left).Photograph by: SubmittedThis Missing Children Society of Canada said Wednesday it believes a woman who disappeared more than two years ago with her daughter may be hiding in B.C., possibly in Vancouver.

Pearl Rose Gavaghan Da Massa, who is now seven, vanished from the U.K. on Dec. 9, 2008, when she was taken away by her mother, Helen Gavaghan.

She had joint custody of Pearl with the child’s father, Henry Da Massa.

There were sightings of Pearl and her mother last summer in the Toronto area, where they may also be hiding.

There is a reward of $10,000 for information about the missing girl’s whereabouts but it expires May 6.

Pearl, who may be known by her alias Belle Flaherty, is three feet six inchesl and has long, wavy, light brown hair.

Helen Gavaghan, who is 33, has long, straight black hair and is five feet four inches tall. She is known to use the aliases Dana Flaherty and Meta International

Anyone with information can contact MCSC through a 24-hour, toll-free tip line at 1-800-661-6160 or by email at tips@mcsc.ca.

Coroner develops human remains program that helps bring closure to families of missing persons sooner

The B.C. Coroner's identification and disaster response unit has released this sketch (top, centre) based on facial reconstruction of a man thought to be of northeastern African descent whose remains were found by a hiker near Prince George in November, 2010. Police have been unable to match the man's profile to a missing persons case, but are hoping some of his effects will jog someone's memory. He was found wearing these shoes, a backpack, a Coptic cross (bottom left), a T-shirt advertising a 1997 production of Oklahoma! by the Buffalo Community Community Theatre group, and a shirt advertising Corona beer.

Photograph by: Handouts, B.C. Coroner's Service
By Susan Lazaruk, The Province April 23, 2011 8:53 PM
Until a hiker came across the human body in a wooded area of Prince George recently, the young male had likely lain there for several week.
The remains had mummified, the man’s wallet was empty, he carried no id and his name had been torn off a recent hotel receipt. He carried a backpack with the logo of a Calgary radio station, had a T-shirt advertising a play by a Buffalo community theatre group and had a small Coptic Christian cross with him.
The man, whom police believe did not meet with foul play, was wearing blue jeans, size 10 shoes, a brown long-sleeved shirt with a Corona beer logo, black hoodie, blue-tinted wraparound sunglasses and a red-and-white ski jacket.
He also carried a Prince George transit map and bus timetable, leading police to believe he may have been visiting the area. The clues didn’t offer much and police turned to the coroner for help.
“It’s almost as if he didn’t want to be identified,” said Stephen Fonseca, head of the coroner’s identification and disaster response unit, which is responsible for trying to match missing persons to unidentified remains in B.C.
He drew a likeness of the man based on facial reconstruction and pegged his height at between five-six and five-10, with a slim build, his age at 20 to 30 years old. The man is thought to be of northeastern African decent, possibly Somalian, Eritrean or Ethiopian.
Fonseca plugged the details into a program he developed that profiles missing persons much in the same way that homicide detectives profile serial killers.
He was able to reasonably match his profile to a Somalian family that had reported a family member missing.
Fonseca was certain they’d found their man.”
“Even the photo was similar” to his facial reconstruction.
But after tracking the family to Ontario in a process that took three months, Fonseca discovered that missing man had returned home on his own.
He and Prince George police are appealing to the public for help in identifying the man, whose body was discovered in November.
He has been added to the approximate 200 cases the coroner has in its file of unidentified human remains in B.C., a list that grows by three to five people each year.
Some of the files go back to the 1960s, with relatives still hoping one day they’ll get the call they’re always waiting for: news about their loved one.
“It’s a heavy responsibility to carry when they expect you to find the connection between the unidentified remains and their loved ones,” said Fonseca. “We get queries from the public every day.”
He said that’s what drives him and the team of people in his department who work on cold cases.
“It’s a tremendous feeling of relief for me when I make an identification,” he said.
He recalled one case where the family hadn’t reported the man missing.
He was a homeless bottle and can collector whose skeletal remains were discovered in East Vancouver. The coroner’s office was checking expiry dates on the cans in his possession to try to narrow down the time of his death when Fonseca discovered some signed paintings among his effects. His name turned up in police files for petty crime and the coroner’s office eventually tracked his brothers down in Germany and the DNA matched.
And just last year, the office was able to close a file of a person reported missing in 1959 after he drove his car into Lake Okanagan and was presumed drowned.
“He drove off a floating bridge while he was rushing to pick up some medicine,” said Fonseca. “It was a very tragic story.”
Fonseca said that using the computer model and DNA from the man’s children — technology that wasn’t available when the man went missing — the coroner was able to match human remains found in 1987 to the missing man and close the case for his family.
“This job becomes an obsession,” said Fonseca. “I keep pushing and I don’t let up. I have to be able to show the family what I did to try to find their relative.”
The computerized program, which Fonseca says is the first of its kind in Canada, is helping the coroner’s office to become more efficient as more information is added to it, including the GPS co-ordinates of all human remains found.
He said the coroner’s office was able to identify the owner of one of the severed feet, foot No. 7, that washed ashore in B.C., by plugging in the information about where the foot likely came from and comparing it to missing persons already entered into the database.
“We’re very proud of it,” he said. “We know it’s making identifications more efficient. Police are getting excited about it, too.”
He said there is interest from other jurisdictions and said it’s possible there could be a national application in future.
And the coroner’s office has also posted a searchable list of the profiles of unidentified human remains, accessible through the “British Columbia cases” link on missing-u.ca.
slazaruk@theprovince.com

Linda Muriel STEPHEN

RCMP Coquitlam file # 2011-9427 re: Missing Female

Coquitlam RCMP are seeking the public's assistance in locating a missing 58 year old female Riverview Hospital patient. Linda Muriel STEPHEN was last seen by Riverview staff and residents at 0930 on Friday April 8, 2011. STEPHEN suffers from a mental disorder and requires medication without which STEPHEN may become paranoid. STEPHEN does not have a history of wandering and it is not known where she may have gone or by what means. STEPHEN has previously left Riverview Grounds however she has returned on her own accord within the same day. STEPHEN is described as an elderly Caucasian female, 5'4" tall, 108 pounds with grey hair, blue eyes and was last seen wearing a green fleece jacket. If you have seen STEPHEN or someone of similar description, please contact Coquitlam RCMP at 604-945-1550.

The above item has been posted to the newsroom on the RCMP Coquitlam website ( www.bc.rcmp.ca ) along with a colour photo of STEPHEN (attached).

Thank you.

Released by

Coquitlam RCMP Media Relations
Office: 604-945-1580
Email: coquitlam_media@rcmp-grc.gc.ca

Justin Craik

Kelowna BC

Kelowna RCMP renew call for help in missing person case

By Contributed - Kelowna Capital News
Published: April 26, 2011 5:00 PM

Kelowna RCMP are again asking for any help the public can give in order to solve the mystery surrounding the disappearance of 19-year-old Justin Craik.

He was last seen at his Mills Road home on April 1, when he said he was going downtown.

"He left home that day without any money, and without his medication which he takes for schizophrenia," said Const. Steve Holmes.

Craik is described as Caucasian, 5'6" tall and weighing approximately 140 pounds. He has dark hair and a mustache and beard. He was wearing a dark blue hoodie and jeans at the time he left home.
Anyone with information about Craik's whereabouts is asked to call Kelowna RCMP at 250-762-3300

Young Man still missing

Date: April 13, 2011 - File : 2011-14053

Kelowna RCMP are asking for media and public assistance to help locate 19 year old Justin CRAIK. The young man went missing from his residence in Kelowna on April 1, 2011. He has not been seen, nor heard from since. Inquiries have been made with his family, friends and places he frequents, all with negative results.

CRAIK  is schizophrenic and has not taken his medication and is likely showing signs of distress as a result.

Please do what you can to fan this out. Craik's photo is attached and descriptors are below in the original release.

Anyone with information is asked to call Kelowna RCMP at 250-762-3300.

Date: April 8, 2011 - File: 2011-14053

Kelowna RCMP are attempting to locate 19 year old Justin Craik. His family has not seen him since April 1, 2011, when he said he was going downtown, from their Mills Road residence.  Craik is on medication for  schizophrenia and did not take it with him, nor did he have any money. 

Justin Craik is Caucasian, 5'6" tall, 140 pounds, dark hair with a moustache and beard. He may be wearing a bark blue hoody and jeans. A photo is attached 

Craik went missing last month and was located at a coffee shop downtown. 

Anyone with information on Justin Craik's location is asked to call Kelowna RCMP.

Released by:

Sgt. Ann Morrison

Kelowna RCMP

(250)470-6231

Charles Mackie

Victoria BC

Vital Statistics at Time of Disappearance

Missing Since: July 18, 2010 from Victoria, British Columbia

Classification: Missing

Date Of Birth: Unknown

Age: 49

Height: 6'0"

Weight: 240 lbs.

Hair Color: n/a

Eye Color: Brown

Race: Native

Gender: Male

Distinguishing Characteristics: Wears small wired framed glasses.

Avid outdoorsman.

Medical Conditions: Suffers from diabetes and a thyroid

condition and is in need of medication.

Clothing: Black baseball cap, long sleeve black shirt,

light blue jeans, and black running shoes.

Case Number: 10-29877

Details of Disappearance

Charles Mackie was reported missing on July 27th, 2010 and has not been seen since Sunday, July 18th, 2010. He was last seen leaving his residence in a

blue 2001 Toyota Echo bearing BC licence plate 093 GPA. His vehicle was packed with camping gear. Family members are very concerned about Mr. Mackie's

mental and physical welfare as he suffers from diabetes and a thyroid condition and did not take his medication with him. Mr. Mackie loves the outdoors

and loves being in the woods and is known to frequent the Esquimalt lagoon, Island View Beach and East Sooke Park. Local police departments have been

advised to be on the lookout for Mr. Mackie or his vehicle.

Investigating Agency

If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:

Victoria Police Department  Detective Greg Shaw  (250) 995-7255

Cretiens

Clothing found in Nevada could belong to missing B.C. man
The Canadian Press - Posted: Dec 6, 2011 3:22 PM PT

A piece of men's clothing found in the remote woods of northern Nevada might provide a clue about the fate of a British Columbia man missing in the area since last winter.

Police in Nevada say they're still looking for Albert Chretien, of Penticton, B.C., whose wife survived nearly two months in the backcountry while he went for help.

Rita and Albert Chretien disappeared in March while driving from their home in Penticton to a trade show in Las Vegas.

A group of hunters found Rita 49 days later still in the couple's van, but Albert, who left the vehicle in search of help, hasn't been seen since.

A pair of men's underwear was recently found, but there is no indication the clothing belonged to Chretien, police said. A DNA test will be performed on the material.

The sheriff's office in Elko County said in August that the official search had ended, but officials say they have continued to search during the past several months.

A news release said the search has focused on several steep canyons and waterways near where the van was located, and will continue when weather allows.

Rita Chretien spoke about her ordeal for the first time in October, telling a Christian television program that she assumes her husband is dead, but that she nonetheless still holds out hope he could return.

Canadian woman seeks search for husband in NV
By: The Canadian Press

Posted: 10/29/2011 7:12 PM
RENO, Nev. - Six months after she was found on the verge of starvation in a van in the Nevada wilderness, a Canadian woman wants to know what happened to her husband after he walked out for help.

Rita Chretien of Penticton, British Columbia, has asked Elko County sheriff’s officials to conduct another search near the Nevada-Idaho border for 59-year-old Albert Chretien before snowfall arrives, said Hannah Hyland, a friend and neighbour of the couple.

While an Oct. 22 search turned up no trace of him, Rita Chretien and other family members are hopeful an expanded search of the remote, rugged mountains of northeastern Nevada will yield clues and closure, Hyland said. Albert Chretien hasn’t been seen since he set out on foot in search of help on March 22, three days after the couple’s van got stuck on a muddy road.

Rita Chretien, 56, stayed with the van, surviving for seven weeks on trail mix, hard candy and water from a nearby stream until a group of hunters spotted her May 6. A devout Christian, she credited her faith for survival.

“Rita has peace already and believes that either way, whether he has preceded her (in death) or whether he’s still alive, he’s in the care of our heavenly father, and that’s her comfort,” Hyland told The Associated Press.

“But peace is not the same thing as closure. She would still like to know what happened to him, and she’s in a waiting mode,” Hyland added.

Sheriff Jim Pitts didn’t immediately return a phone call Saturday. Sheriff’s officials have conducted a string of intensive searches for Albert Chretien, including the one last week that involved the use of several cadaver dogs from Utah. They have said they believe he is dead, his remains scattered.

Sheriff’s Lt. Adrienne Brensel said authorities have spent considerable time on the searches, and are disappointed there has been no closure.

“I’m not aware of any other planned searches,” Brensel said. “That doesn’t mean we’re not open to another search if we get more evidence we can find something.”

Family and friends are pleased that sheriff’s officials haven’t given up, and hope other areas can be searched as well, Hyland said.

Brensel said authorities remained hopeful a hunter or hiker stumbles on evidence. “Usually that’s what happens in such vast country,” she added.

Albert Chretien set out with a cell phone and GPS unit for Mountain City, a couple of day’s journey from the van, Hyland said. “That route (to Mountain City) is initially what searchers had gone over thoroughly, but he may not have been able to stay on that route,” Hyland said. “We think there are some other legitimate areas that can be investigated.”

While it’s unlikely he’s still alive, family and friends don’t rule out the possibility.

“I know it’s farfetched, but when you consider what happened to Rita, that’s farfetched, too,” Hyland said. “Her stomach was shrunk to the size of a walnut when she was found. Supernatural care could have been over him, too.”

The couple owns an excavating business and was headed to Las Vegas for a trade show when they drove onto the forest road.

Rita Chretien says relationship with God helped her survive Nevada ordeal
Penticton's Rita Chretien who was stranded in the Nevada wilderness for weeks and whose husband is still missing spoke with a reporter from Vision TV about her experience. It is to air on the show "Context". Frame grab from Vision TV. The Chretien couple got lost on their way to Las Vegas. (for story by Sue Lazaruk).

The Penticton woman who miraculously survived after being stranded in a van in the Nevada backcountry for seven weeks said she was ready to die the very day hunters appeared and rescued her.

Rita Chretien, a devout Christian who relied on her strong faith to survive her ordeal last spring, spoke about her ordeal for the first time to a Toronto Christian television program.

She told of the heart-wrenching moment when she last saw her husband, Albert; about imagining her daily candy ration was a favourite meal; how the couple ended up stuck in the mud and how close they came to finding help the first time they set out.

On May 6, the 49th day after she and her husband got stuck in a mud bowl after following their GPS directions for the shortest route to Jackpot, Nev., on the way to Las Vegas for a convention, she started to get weak.

“I felt so different,” she told host Lorna Dueck on the program Context, an independent Christian public affairs program. “I was crawling back to the van after I went for water. My chest was sore, I was out of breath and I felt that I would have a heart attack.

“So I got myself cleaned up a bit, put a blanket around me and I said the little child’s prayer: ‘Now I lay me down to sleep,’” she said.

“I was content with that and I went to sleep.”

Two hours later, she was woken by the distant sound of all-terrain vehicles, driven by hunters searching for shed elk antlers.

“I yanked that door open and I flagged them down.”

Rita and her husband, devout Christians who owned an excavating firm, decided on the scenic route for their trip because they were eager to see a part of the country they had never seen, she said.

The set out in mid-March and their GPS directed them to a remote logging road, where they eventually got stuck in a mud bog. They managed to reach 911 but the cellphone went dead and they never regained a signal.

In the interview, Rita recalled calming an anxious and frantic Albert.

They dug themselves out but immediately drove into a worse hole, she said.

“Al, he cried, and I cried and we prayed and we said, ‘Lord, what will we do now?’ ” she recounted.

They set out on foot and walked 7.5 kilometres in the direction the GPS suggested was the way to the highway before Rita’s swollen knee forced them back.

“Had they gone in the opposite direction, they would have found a working ranch that was eight kilometres away,” Dueck, the host, said on the show.

Albert eventually set out on his own and Rita recalled the last time she saw him.

“We hadn’t cried so deeply for years,” she said, adding she put up a brave front so Albert wouldn’t change his mind about leaving.

Rita filled her days reading the Bible -- “it was very soothing” -- and two other books, taking at least a 15-minute walk each day despite her fears of wild animals. She recalled fetching water from a nearby stream, the muddy water tasting sweet.

“I enjoyed my books and just thought I’ll pass the time and for as long as it takes, I’m going to hang in there,” she said.

She rationed her trail mix, hard candies and fish oil capsules and tried chewing, and even swallowing, the green sprigs and weeds she found. She would hold up her meager rations on a plate, imagining they were a meal of macaroni and a hotdog, asking God to bless it.

“And I said, just as if I ate it, ‘Lord, could you give me that nutrition I would have gotten if I had eaten it.’ Then my hunger went away for that meal.”

Rita had a fear of being alone and had never travelled without her husband, though her fear faded as her relationship with God strengthened, she said.

“I looked forward to talking to God every morning,” she said.

An intensive weeks-long search for Albert, 59, was called off this summer.

It’s now hunting season and hunters in the area will be on the lookout for his remains.

Rita, who is back in Penticton with her family, driving the Chevy Astro van she was stranded in and running her husband’s business, said she holds out hope Albert will also return home.

“Mostly I think he must have passed away or maybe froze to death but there’s still that little inkling of hope that something really unusual happened and that he’s safe somewhere surviving and still lost,” she said. “I just can’t get it out of my mind until I’m sure.”The interview is avilable on Context’s website and is scheduled to air Sunday, Oct. 9 on Global at 10:30 a.m.

slazaruk@theprovince.com

Family's Mother's Day 'miracle'
as B.C. woman found alive seven weeks after disappearance
"It is My Prayer that Albert Would be Found Safe as Well"

By Glenda Luymes, The Province May 7, 2011 11:46 AM

Officials in northern Nevada say they have halted the intensive effort to find missing B.C. man Albert Chretien after a week of renewed searching.

Chretien, 59, of Penticton B.C., left his wife to wait in the couple's van on March 21 while he searched for help after the vehicle became stuck in mud on a logging road several hundred kilometres north of Las Vegas.

His wife, Rita Chretien, was eventually found by hunters May 6, weakened but alive, nearly seven weeks later.

Following Rita's rescue, the hunt for Albert intensified, but has failed to find him.

The search was called off late Monday, said Elko County Sheriff Jim Pitts.

"Searchers have spent about 1,500 person-hours exhausting all leads provided through clues gained by interviews with Chretien's wife, without finding evidence of his whereabouts," Pitts said in a statement.

Search will resume

He said personnel conducted search activities on foot, from the air, on horseback, with ATVs and on snowshoes over an area totalling some 800 square kilometres. Search managers also employed four canine teams.

But Pitts said it was not the end of all search efforts for Chretien.

He said his staff would review the search results and plan to continue the effort after snows in the area melt and conditions improve, or after additional information is received.

Rita Chretien said the couple had taken the logging road as part of a suggested scenic route on their drive to Las Vegas from their home in B.C.'s southern Interior.

They were reported missing by family members after failing to return home as scheduled March 31.

Family's Mother's Day 'miracle' as B.C. woman found alive seven weeks after disappearance
     

Nevada sheriff’s office still getting offers to help search for missing B.C. man

Jun 21, 2011 – 10:50 PM ET

Nevada searchers make one last unsuccessful try to find missing Penticton man - June 27-11

By Evan Duggan, Vancouver Sun

Authorities spent three more unsuccessful days scouring a remote area near where Penticton man, Albert Chretien, was last seen before disappearing into the Nevada wilderness 15 weeks ago.

Searchers wanted to try once more "at least for the family if for anything else," Lieutenant Marvin Morton of the Elko County Sheriff's office said on Monday.

He said crews had no luck in what was their final attempt.

With summer conditions taking hold and melting away the deep snowpack, it's possible that a hunter or backcountry motorist could come across Chretien in coming weeks, Morton said.

Chretien went missing in the rugged terrain of northeast Nevada after he and his wife Rita Chretien became stranded in their van on a remote logging road on March 19 while the couple travelled from B.C. to a Las Vegas for a trade show,

It's suspected that their GPS device took them on the tragic shortcut into the remote, mountainous territory.

After three helpless days stuck in their van, Chretien decided to go out on foot in search of help, leaving his wife of 38 years behind in the safety of their vehicle.

On May 6, three elk hunters riding ATVs found her alive in the van, but the Chretien family's emotional surge felt by Rita Chretien's rescue quickly deteriorated after renewed searches for Albert Chretien came up empty-handed in the vast, elevated desert caught in the grips of alpine winter.

He said that when Chretien went out in search of help he had no food or water, and he wasn't wearing suitable winter clothing.

Morton said there would have been freezing temperatures, deep snow drifts, and intimidating 13,000-foot peaks all around Chretien.

When Chretien left the van, "he was very, very exhausted," Morton said.

Morton said despite the rescue crews' best effort, he's not surprised that Chretien hasn't been found.

eduggan@vancouversun.com

© Copyright (c) The Vancouver Sun
By Susan Lazaruk

VANCOUVER • U.S. police are still getting calls offering to help search for Canadian Albert Chretien, presumed lost in the wilds of Nevada three months after he was last seen.

“We get a call every second day,” said Lieutenant Marvin Morton of the Elko County sheriff’s office, who this week is sending out a team for a two-day search.

The last official search was a month ago, shortly after his wife Rita, 56, was discovered alive after surviving seven weeks in the couple’s stuck van.

“We got a call yesterday from someone in Pennsylvania wanting to know where to search. Most of them are from out of state,” said Morton. “It (Chretien’s disappearance) is still in people’s minds, thoughts and prayers.”

Morton had flown himself to an area around Meadow Creek Road in northwestern Nevada after state wildlife biologists looking for eagles last week reported seeing a large number of ravens, crows and vultures congregating in one spot.

Vancouver Province May 14-11

Searchers intensify grid search for husband as B.C. woman still not ready to tell story

 By Susan Lazaruk, The Province May 14, 2011 3:00 PM

The strategy for the search in northern Nevada for a missing Penticton businessman was to be kicked up to a more labour-intensive grid search Saturday, the start of a second week of searching for Albert Chretien.

The two dozen mostly volunteer searchers co-ordinated by the Elko County sheriff’s department were scheduled to comb the search area with greater scrutiny.

“It’s walking more in a set pattern, with the searchers keeping each other in sight, to allow them to cover more ground,” said Det. Jim Carpenter. “They will be looking for anything to pinpoint the search area. They will be looking for anything they can find to lead them back to him, where he went, where he was headed.”

Carpenter said he was unable to contact the sergeant in charge of the search because they were out of cellphone range; but they were expected to continue the search as long as there was daylight on Saturday before resuming again at dawn on Sunday.

“It takes them two hours just to drive to the area,” he said.

“They’re going to be out there all weekend and then re-evaluate on Monday and see where to go from there,” he said.

Weather was expected to be clear with temperatures in the 30-degree Celsius range, he said.

Chretien, 59, was last seen two months after he and his wife Rita’s van got stuck in a remote area of the state.

Meanwhile, Rita, 56 — who was found alive 49 days later in the couple’s van by hunters on ATVs, after surviving on a small amount of trail mix, hard candies and fish oil capsules — isn’t ready to tell her story publicly, her family said.

She was continuing to recover in a Penticton hospital over the weekend “and her spirits remain high,” her family said in a release through the RCMP.

But her children said they aren’t certain when she will be able to tell “this wonderful good-news story” to the media.

The devout Christian family “wishes to first of all thank our gracious God for Rita Chretien’s miraculous discovery and improving health.”

They thanked the media and public for their patience and understanding and said the family “is not used to being in the spotlight.”

And the release said: “We want our Heavenly Father to be honoured in all of this and look forward to seeing how He will use Rita and Albert’s story to further His Kingdom in His time.”

The couple, who own an excavating company, left mid-March for a Las Vegas conference but got stuck in the mud while driving on a remote logging road. An extensive multi-state search had been called off in early April.

slazaruk@theprovince.com

twitter.com/susanlazaruk

© Copyright (c) The Province

Vancouver Province May 13-11

As many as 50 people continued to search Friday in northern Nevada for Albert Chretien, who was last seen two months after he and his wife’s van got stuck in a remote area of the state.

“We are told weather is co-operating for now and that the forecast is predicting fair conditions until the end of Sunday,” the Chretien family said in a release on Friday through Penticton RCMP.

The family said between 30 to 50 people, most of whom are volunteering their time, have been searching the area from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day for the 59-year-old Penticton businessman.

“Should nothing be found [Friday], we are told that the ongoing systematic search will transition to a more labour-intensive grid search, starting Saturday,” the family said.

They also said Albert’s wife, Rita, 56, who was found alive last week in the couple’s van by hunters navigating the rough, snowy terrain on ATVs, after surviving for 49 days on nothing more than a small amount of trail mix, hard candies and fish oil capsules, was continuing to recover in a Penticton hospital “and her spirits remain high.”

Her children said they aren’t certain when she will be able to tell “this wonderful good news story” to the media.

The devout Christian family “wishes to first of all thank our gracious God for Rita Chretien’s miraculous discovery and improving health.”

They thanked the media and public for their patience and understanding and said the family “is not used to being in the spotlight.”

And the release said, “We want our Heavenly Father to be honoured in all of this and look forward to seeing how He will use Rita and Albert’s story to further His Kingdom in His time.”

The couple, who own an excavating company, left mid-March for a Las Vegas conference but got stuck in the mud while driving on a remote logging road. An extensive multi-state search had been called off in early April.

slazaruk@theprovince.com

Vancouver Sun May 8-11

Huddled in a van in the mountainous terrain straddling the Idaho-Nevada border, Rita Chretien knew that Friday would be her last day in the wild.

The 56-year-old Penticton, B.C., woman had been missing for seven weeks at that point and had rationed food and eaten snow to stay alive.

On Thursday, she knew something was coming the next day, but she didn’t know what it would be, discovery or death.

“She was prepared and she had a very clear indication there would be something on Friday,” her son, Raymond Chretien, said at a news conference Sunday afternoon. “She got ready on Thursday for the outcome, and this is what it is.”

Rita Chretien was found alive Friday after the van she and her husband, Albert, were driving in got stuck in the mud seven weeks ago.

Raymond Chretien said the couple took a few wrong turns after deciding to take a scenic route. They had no idea that the road was impassable, he said.

Albert Chretien, 59, left to go find help on March 22 but never returned, leaving his wife stranded in the wilderness with a limited supply of food and water.

The area where Albert Chretien went missing is fairly mountainous terrain, filled with canyons and — at this time of year — both snow cover and snow melt.

Raymond Chretien said that while the family was happy to celebrate Mother’s Day with her, they were also hoping to find their still missing father. Raymond Chretien said that whatever the outcome, the family was prepared for it.

“We were praying for a miracle and boy did we get one,” he said. “We’re still praying for another one.”

However, hope for a successful rescue has waned with each passing day. On Sunday, police said it is unlikely that Albert Chretien will be found alive.

In an interview with the CBC, a detective with the Elko County Sheriff’s department said the odds of Albert Chretien surviving in the wilderness for almost two months is quite low.

"The odds of survival without any sort of protection seems real unlikely to me," said Det. Kevin McKinney.

"There are a lot of areas there, caves, things like that, where it would be possible (to survive), but without food or water, it would be very difficult."

On Saturday, volunteers searched on foot and on all-terrain vehicles through the rough country along with two canine units, McKinney said.

Raymond Chretien said that his mother had no idea just how large the search was for the missing couple.

Meanwhile doctors in Idaho continued to introduce food to Rita Chretien Sunday, slowly increasing her liquid diet to avoid setbacks in her recovery.

“Right now she is very weak … but her strength is coming back at a good pace,” said Dr. James Westberry. “She’s surprising all of us with how well she’s doing.”

Westberry said that had she not been found Friday, it was unlikely that she would have survived much longer.

“Maybe a few days, maybe not much more than that. She was definitely getting somewhat toward the end when she was found.”

Doctors expect her to make a full recovery.

Raymond Chretien said that his mother appeared in good health.

“I don’t know what to say. She’s amazing,” he said.

A spokesman for St. Luke’s hospital told a news conference earlier Sunday that Rita Chretien would not be speaking with reporters.

"Rita does not want to do interviews, it’s too traumatic for her at this time," said hospital spokesman Ken Dey.

jpress@postmedia.com

twitter.com/jordan—press

© Copyright (c) Postmedia News

Vancouver Sun May 7-11

Searchers hunt for husband as B.C. woman recovers in hospital

VANCOUVER — Tucked in rural northeast Nevada, Elko County’s rugged border regions are popular with snowmobilers and ATV riders but can also be unforgiving for those who are unprepared.

Just north of the abandoned mining town of Rowland, the ranch country roads are steep, winding and rocky. This time of the year is about the worst.

“For the past month or so we have had snow, rain and more snow,” says Gage Smith, a local recreation business owner. “During the mud season the roads are impassable.”

Which makes Rita Chretien’s survival story that much more remarkable.

The 56-year-old Penticton, B.C., woman was found alive Friday after the van she and her husband, Albert, were driving in got stuck in the mud seven weeks ago.

Albert Chretien, 59, left to go find help on March 22 but never returned, leaving his wife stranded in the wilderness with a limited supply of food and water.

"It’s a pretty incredible story. We’re overwhelmed with joy and rejoicing that Rita is alive," Lorraine Chretien Hoving, Albert’s sister, told Postmedia News. "I can’t say I would’ve made it that far."

Family members learned that the couple only had a few bananas, wafer cookies and trail mix when they got stranded. Rita Chretien passed the time by writing in her journal. It was a way for her to keep her mind focused and also a way for her to leave a note to her children "in case something happened."

As family members made their way to the Idaho hospital where Rita Chretien was recovering, two sheriff’s search teams comprising five to seven people each from Elko County and neighbouring Owyhee County in Idaho set off early Saturday morning to try to find Albert Chretien in rugged terrain straddling the Nevada-Idaho border.

Elko County Sheriff’s Det. Jim Carpenter told Postmedia News late Saturday that the all-day search turned up no sign of the missing man. Many of the roads and trails leading away from the van have been washed out by melting snow, he said, adding that elevation in the area can range from 5,800 to 8,500 feet.

The search will resume Sunday, he said.

A fixed-wing aircraft was supposed to aid in the search but was grounded because of rain and cloud, he said.

Rita Chretien, meanwhile, was recovering at St. Luke’s Magic Valley Medical Center in Twin Falls, Idaho, where she was listed in fair condition.

Ken Dey, a hospital spokesman, said Saturday that she was doing "remarkably well" and in good spirits.

She was able to take a small amount of food, which was a "big milestone," Dey said.

He said that doctors believe her prospects for a full recovery are very good.

The couple had been en route to a Las Vegas trade show when they got stranded in their light brown 2000 Chevy Astro van.

The area in which they ended up draws deer hunters and off-roaders but this time of the year it is a “muddy mess,” Smith said.

“I’m amazed they got as far as they did,” he said.

Albert’s sister said he had recently purchased a new GPS system for his vehicle but had been forewarned that it is not 100 per cent reliable.

Two hunters riding their all-terrain vehicles found Rita Chretien Friday afternoon. They had to ride about 14 kilometres from her location before they got phone service and could call for help, Carpenter said.

Authorities got the call around 3:30 p.m. and dispatched a helicopter to the area.

Rita Chretien had somehow managed to get by drinking water from a nearby creek, Carpenter said. She told authorities she slept a lot while waiting to be rescued.

“We’re stunned,” the couple’s son Raymond told the newspaper The Oregonian.

“We haven’t fully digested it. This is a miracle.”

He said the first thing his mother did when they spoke was to apologize for causing him, his two brothers and their other loved ones anguish.

“She felt extremely bad for us all,” he said. “She was extremely apologetic.”

He told the paper he had pretty much lost hope of seeing either of his parents again.

He said his mother’s spirits were fairly good, but that his mother was not optimistic about her husband’s fate.

The couple weren’t prepared for winter weather and they don’t go camping.

“He didn’t have shelter,” said Raymond Chretien, who was heading to Idaho with his wife on Saturday. “It’s her belief that he didn’t make it.”

The couple were last spotted in Oregon on the afternoon of March 19 after investigators tracked down video footage of the Chretiens making a credit-card purchase at a gas station. They had crossed into Washington State earlier that day.

Albert Chretien was last seen wearing a black baseball cap with the logo RITA on it, a khaki button-up shirt and black jeans.

The couple owns an excavation business in Penticton, located about 300 kilometres east of Vancouver.

© Copyright (c) The Vancouver Sun

 

CTV.ca News Staff

Date: Sat. May. 7 2011 9:54 PM ET

Reinvigorated by the discovery of a British Columbia woman who had been missing since mid-March, searchers are once again scouring the remote Nevada wilderness for signs of her husband, Albert Chretien.

Hunters discovered 56-year-old Rita Chretien with the couple's van on Friday, on a remote logging road in Elko County, northeastern Nevada.

"It's absolutely incredible," said Lorraine Chretien-Hoving, who is Albert's sister. "It came as a total surprise; we believe it's a miracle."

Rita Chretien, who kept a journal of her experience in case she didn't make it out alive, survived her 48-day ordeal by eating snow and rationing the small amount of food the couple had on hand.

In an interview with CTV.ca, British Columbia RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Dan Moskaluk said knowing the location of the couple's van will serve to focus this latest hunt.

"Owyhee County are coordinating a ground search effort this morning with resources on the ground," Moskaluk said, adding that inclement weather is hampering efforts to search from the air.

"It's a totally different search than what we had weeks ago because we now have the vehicle," he said, describing how search teams accompanied by rescue dogs will use the van as the starting point to trace Albert Chretien's steps.

The couple had been missing since they left their home in Penticton, B.C., and hit the highway for Las Vegas on March 19.

They were last seen in surveillance video captured at a food mart in Baker City, Oregon.

The couple, who own a commercial excavation business and were headed to a trade show, apparently took a wrong turn sometime later and ended up stranded on the logging road.

Three days after their van became stuck in the mud, 59-year-old Albert Chretien left to find help. He has not been seen since.

His sister believes that Albert was simply doing what he could to help his wife and get them back to civilization.

"I think he would be concerned about Rita's safety," said Lorraine Chretien, adding that Albert likely realized that food was scarce. "It's like him to go get help and see what he could do for Rita."

The couple's family reported them missing on March 30, when they failed to return from their trip as planned.

She was discovered by a group of people riding ATVs in the area.

Moskaluk said it's "amazing" that Rita is faring so well, "considering that she existed essentially on water with some small amount of trail mix that they had with them."

Chretien is currently at a hospital in Twin Falls, Idaho, where she is recovering.

Although she reportedly lost between 30 pounds, Rita Chretien is said to be on her feet and walking around the St. Luke's Magic Valley Medical Centre in Twin Falls.

A hospital representative said Saturday she had eaten a small meal and was doing well.

Rita is expected to be hospitalized for a couple of days, Moskaluk said, after which she is eager to return to B.C.

"They want to get home as soon as conveniently possible -- and when she's well enough -- but there's no word on when that's taking place."

Penticton, Major Crimes Unit

Update- RCMP and U.S. police agencies, no new leads on missing Penticton couple tips drying up Tip line cancelled

File # 2011-3395 - 2011-04-21 16:11 PDT

RCMP and their U.S. police counterparts in Baker City Oregon are continuing their investigation into the March 19th disappearance of Albert and Rita Chretien of Penticton. The Chretiens were reported missing while on a trip from Penticton, BC to Las Vegas, Nevada.

The Penticton RCMP Major Crimes Unit, have followed up on all tips received to date that dealt with information from Canadian tipsters. Investigators have not received any new information that has permitted them to place Al and Rita Chretien at any other location other then the last known location of Baker City, Oregon. Baker City Police Department / US state agencies and the RCMP will continue to follow up on any new information that arises.

“As of today, we are suspending the assigned tip line, as we are at a point where incoming tips have dropped off. The lower volume of tips can be easily managed by via normal non-emergency police service phone numbers and are accordingly shutting down the tip line.” stated Cpl Dan Moskaluk.

The RCMP and U.S. law enforcement agencies request that any anyone with information related to the Chretiens or their missing vehicle contact the following agencies, their local police services or Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

 
Penticton man follows trail of missing couple

By Kristi Patton - Penticton Western News
Updated: April 14, 2011 4:27 PM

Inspired by the generosity of a man he only worked beside briefly, Tony Friesen fired up his motorbike and set out on the highway to find a missing Penticton couple he only knew for a short time.

Seeing the faces of Al and Rita Chretien grace the front pages of newspapers with headlines stating they were missing after leaving for a road trip from Penticton to Las Vegas on March 19, Friesen was shocked.

“They are not the kind of people that would just go missing. When I saw their faces on the front of the paper, I told my wife that I am not tied into anything here right now and I think I’m going to get on my bike and head down there because I know the area very well,” said Friesen. “It just made sense to me that we should be able to find out where they are.”

Friesen had only met Al Chretien shortly while volunteering to build the Penticton Christian School. Al had been doing all the machine work on the construction site.

“I only knew him briefly. I didn’t know Rita at all, but I feel like I do now,” said Friesen, who met up with the Chretien’s family and friends searching for the couple in their last known whereabouts in Baker City, Ore. “Al is just a really generous guy, the kind of guy that would do the same thing for you.”

Friesen said he scoured the area on his motorbike for about a week. He slowly combed through the rough terrain areas, stopping and walking along roadsides to get a better view off the shoulders. Law enforcement officials said on Monday that 23 days after the Chretiens were last seen, search efforts throughout Oregon will continue to scale back. Still family and friends continue to look.

“I feel confident where I looked they are not there, but to me, you just don’t stop looking. The family is going through a lot and they are young. It is a pretty hard time for them especially with keeping the business Al has running and making payments. All of a sudden his son is drawn into something that he didn’t expect to be drawn into, so it’s really hard on them in every aspect,” said Friesen.

Police patrols will continue to respond as needed having already travelled over 5,600 kilometres of roadways and flown 13 hours looking for any signs of the Chretiens. Friesen said the Chretiens remain on a lot of people’s minds in Baker City and the surrounding areas. Ranchers are keeping their eyes open for the couple’s 2000 Chevy Astro van. And with the upcoming wild turkey season starting this week for hunters, it puts even more eyes out in remote areas that may not be seen from the highways.

Friesen said the people in Baker City and the parts of Oregon he travelled have a genuine concern for the missing couple and are trying to help anyway they can.

“The motel I stayed at, when I went to check out the gal wouldn’t take any money from me and said it is the least we can do to help out the cause,” said Friesen.

He said he happened to sit down for a coffee on a bench alongside the operations superintendent for the telephone company in Halfway, Ore.

“He says we have all our crews looking and everybody is concerned about finding them. Then he says if you need a place to stay you can come up and stay at my place and search from here and stay as long as you want,” said Friesen. “It was a neat experience to meet such generous people, but it was unfortunate that I didn’t get any results for what I was there for.”

 
Missing B.C. couple search scaled back

The Canadian Press

Posted: Apr 11, 2011 5:20 PM PT

Last Updated: Apr 11, 2011 5:20 PM PT

The search is being scaled back in Oregon for a B.C. couple who disappeared almost three weeks ago during a driving trip to Las Vegas.

Albert and Rita Chretien, of Penticton, were last seen March 19 at a gas station in Baker City, Ore.

Baker City police said a thorough air and ground search involving local and state police and volunteers has found no trace of the couple, and search efforts are being wound down, although police will continue to keep an eye out for any sign of the Chretiens.

The couple, who are in their 50s, were travelling in their light brown 2000 Chevy Astro van with a black windshield deflector. The vehicle has a B.C. licence plate, 212 CAV.

Two RCMP officers who'd been helping in Oregon have now returned to B.C. and police on both sides of the border say they will continue following up on tips.

Family and friends of the Chretiens have released a statement saying they've been touched by the huge response to the disappearance from people in the U.S. and Canada.

They have thanked the various law enforcement agencies involved and all the citizens of Oregon who have helped.
Penticton, Major Crimes Unit Update on missing couple, Albert and Rita Chretien

File # 2011-3395 - 2011-04-08 13:55 PDT

RCMP officers remain in Baker City Oregon, working with the Baker City PD. The Baker City PD has provided an update for April 8, 2011, with details into the search effort that has been undertaken.

For media releases from Baker City Police, please visit their website at:

www.bakercitypolice.com  (English only).

Law enforcement is requesting that anyone with information related to the Chretiens or their missing vehicle to contact the toll free US/Canada Tip Line at 1-877-987-8477 or any of the following:

Baker City Police Department: 541-523-3644

Oregon State Police Southern Command Center dispatch: 541-664-4600

Crimestoppers: 1-800-222-8477

Police agencies update on missing couple from Penticton
File # 2011 - 2011-04-05 13:18 PDT
Penticton RCMP continue their efforts into the investigation of missing persons Albert and Rita Chretien. RCMP investigators are working with the lead US agency Baker City Police Department.
Both the Baker City Police Dept and the Penticton RCMP will be providing media and public information updates for the USA and Canadian media and public.
Sgt Kirk McCormick of the Baker City Police Dept states “On April 4, 2011 at about 1:00 pm two Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) sergeants arrived in Baker City. A briefing was conducted with the RCMP sergeants, BCPD personnel, and members of the Oregon State Police and Baker County Sheriff’s Office. The RCMP and BCPD are continuing with the investigative efforts while the Oregon State Police and Baker County Sheriff’s Office are handling the search efforts”.
Cpl Dan Moskaluk states "Considering the multi-jurisdictional levels involved in this investigation there has been a tremendous and rapid coordinated response to this matter on the part of both RCMP and US Police agencies, working together for the greater good and best interests of the Chretien family. Both the Chretien family and RCMP are thankful for this effort, along with the assistance and support received from US and Canadian media and the public.”
The RCMP has now obtained a photo of the Chretien's vehicle as per attached, with BC licence number 212-CAV.

For media releases from Baker City Police, please visit their website at www.bakercitypolice.com (English only).
Law enforcement is requesting that anyone with information related to the Chretiens or their missing vehicle to contact the toll free US/Canada Tip Line at 1-877-987-8477 or any of the following:
Baker City Police Department: 541-523-3644
Oregon State Police Southern Command Center dispatch: 541-664-4600
Crimestoppers: 1-800-222-8477
Please direct media inquiries to:
Sgt Kirk McCormick
Baker City Police Dept
c:541-403-1344
541-524-2014 ext. 22
kmccormick@bakercity.com

Latest Release April 3-11 - 6:12pm Pacific Western Time
To all please note on previous releases for backgrounder that:  March 19th, the day that the Chretiens went across the border and were then last seen at Baker City was a Saturday and not a (Tuesday).

We are continuing our efforts to obtain a photo of the actual vehicle, we have been able to obtain a more detailed description  of their van  2000 Chevrolet Astro Van rear wheel drive, cloth interior, no sunroof, two tone BC licence #212 CAV-2 tone tan exterior( darker shade of tan is on the top of the van and the lighter shade of tan is on the bottom). 

Wind visor on the top of the windshield which is the same color as the top darker tone of the vehicle.
-Running boards on both sides that run from front tire to the back tire the running boards are the same color as the lighter lower tone color. 

-There are black grip tape strips on the surface of the running boards.  The rear of the vehicle has some minor damage on the left side from a previous accident this damage is on the bumper and is a slight bend inward/upward.   The van has the stock rims on the front the rear tires are likely winter tires with painted silver rims and a silver hubcap. 

Cpl Dan Moskaluk

Regarding the vehicle desc we ask the media to comment on desc and highlight BC plate number rather then simply the current photo that we have provided and refer to it as a van similar to the one pictured.

Thank you all - Dan

Media Release - Update- Investigation into missing Penticton couple advances

April 3, 2011 - 12:15

The Penticton RCMP assisted by the “E” Division Major Crimes Unit are continuing their investigation into the disappearance of Albert and Rita Chretien.  RCMP investigators have obtained the store security footage from Baker City Oregon and have confirmed that Rita and Albert Chretien are seen in the video footage making a gas purchase at a Shell convenience outlet.    

The RCMP and US State and County agencies are now concentrating their investigative efforts in the Baker City and Oregon State area, now that the last known whereabouts of the Chretiens has been updated and has placed them in Baker City Oregon.

PLEASE SEE CTV NEWS FOR VIDEO

Last known clothing descriptors:

Albert Chretien 59 yrs old male caucasian
5'6, 175 lbs, brown hair bald on top, blue eyes.
Black baseball cap with bold white lettering logo “RITAL” and smaller orange lettering “Enterprises Ltd”
Khaki button up dress shirt
Black jeans and black shoes

Rita Chretien 56 yr old female caucasian
5'03, 135 lbs, shoulder length blond hair, blue eyes, wears glasses.
Brown jacket with light colored collar
white blouse/shirt
beige mesh purse
dark leather lace up shoes
hair in a pony tail
last seen wearing sunglasses
    
Vehicle description:
2000 Chevrolet Astro Van British Columbia licence 212-CAV
light metallic brown with a black sunvisor atop the windshield and body colored running boards along the side
 
“RCMP with U.S. state and county police services in Oregon and Nevada are asking the assistance of the public in obtaining information regarding the whereabouts of Albert and Rita Chretien.  We ask that anyone with information contact their local police departments and quote the Penticton Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) file 2011-3395 or the following:  

Penticton RCMP at 250-492-4300
Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-8477
Oregon State Police 503-378-3720
Baker City Police Dept (541) 523-3644

Media: Cpl Dan Moskaluk will be available to media who are present in Penticton, at 13:00, and by phone availability and via SKYPE, for media inquiries please contact  Cpl Dan Moskaluk at 250-863-7433 or via email dan.moskaluk@rcmp.ca, follow on Twitter @ CplMoskaluk. 

Penticton RCMP and U.S. authorities investigating disappearance of Okanagan couple. The 59 yr old man and his 56 yr old wife failed to return from a business trip to Las Vegas.
The Penticton RCMP and US officials are investigating the disappearance of a Penticton couple after their family reported their parents missing on Thursday March 31th.  The 59 yr old man and his 56 yr old wife failed to return from a business trip to Las Vegas.

The children of the Penticton couple grew concerned after the pair, Albert and Rita Chretien did not return from their trip to Las Vegas as planned in and around Monday to Wednesday of this week.
The Chretiens were traveling in their light brown colored 2000 Chevy Astro Van BC #212-CAV.

“We have confirmed that they did cross into Washington via Oroville on March 19th, 2011 at around 7:05 a.m. that Tuesday morning.  To date the couples banking activities and cell phone usage have been nil.  The Penticton RCMP is liaising with several U.S. police agencies in order to forward the information state side in attempts to locate the couple.” stated Cpl Dan Moskaluk

Family members are very concerned and note that their parents failing to show for the planned attendance at a trade show and convention is out of the ordinary, adding that the Chretiens are local business owner operators which has had a direct effect and concern to many others as the pairs has a small staff employed.

Anyone with information regarding this missing persons investigation are asked to contact:

The Penticton RCMP at 250-492-4300
Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-8477
Okanogan County Sherriff 509-422-7232
Washington State Patrol 509-682-8090
Media
The Penticton RCMP requests the assistance of Canadian media agencies to forward the above media release to their U.S. counterparts and media partners in Washington, Oregon.

Media Inquiries can be directed to Cpl Dan Moskaluk at 250-863-7433.  It is anticipated that US side authorities may expand on further media releases.

VANCOUVER — The Vancouver Police Missing Persons Unit is requesting the public's assistance in locating a missing 64-year-old Vancouver woman.

Tatianna Dubitsky was last seen leaving her home in the 800 block East Broadway Ave at about 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, the VPD said in a press release. She indicated that she wanted to go out for a walk and feed the birds at an unknown location.

Dubitsky is white, 5' 2" tall, and weighs 110 lbs. She has short white hair, brown eyes, and a slim build. She was last seen wearing dark blue jeans, grey running shoes, a black jacket with a hood, and she may be carrying a white plastic bag, the release said.

Dubitsky suffers from dementia and can easily become lost and confused, police said. Her only known mode of transport is by foot and she speaks limited English as Russian is her native language.

If anyone sees her they are asked to stay with her, call 911 immediately and ask for police and ambulance to attend.

Vancouver Sun

© Copyright (c) The Vancouver Sun

Michael Dunahee composite sketch issued

CBC News

Posted: Mar 25, 2012 12:59 PM PT
The family of Michael Dunahee, who disappeared more than 21 years ago in one of B.C.'s most infamous missing child cases, has issued a new age-enhanced image of their son.

The new picture is an estimate of what Dunahee would look like as a 26-year-old man, more than two decades after he vanished without a trace from a the playground of Victoria's Blanshard Elementary School on March 4, 1991.

He was last seen wearing a blue-hooded jacket with red lining and red cuffs, a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles T-shirt, multi-coloured rugby pants and blue sneakers.

Michael's parents, Crystal and Bruce Dunahee, have never given up hope of finding their son and last year launched a website, www.michaeldunahee.ca, containing photos and video of Michael, and a link to submit tips.

The four-year-old boy's disappearance saw police conduct one of the largest searches for a missing child in Canadian history and Dunahee's parents helped put in place the Amber Alert system now used for missing children.

But despite more than 10,000 tips, police are no closer to solving the case, which remains active

 
It's been 20 years since Michael Dunahee disappeared from a playground in Victoria. But his memory lives on with his parents, Crystal and Bruce shown here in this file photo with Michael's sister Caitlin.

Photograph by: File photo, Postmedia

VICTORIA — Twenty years after the disappearance of a four-year-old British Columbia boy — which prompted one of the largest missing-persons investigations in Canadian history — his parents were to make a desperate plea for new information.

Bruce and Crystal Dunahee will speak at a news conference at Victoria police headquarters Wednesday, about the March 24, 1991 disappearance of their son, Michael Dunahee.

Michael disappeared around 12:30 p.m., 20 years ago, from a park at Blanshard Elementary school, now University Canada West, in Victoria.

Neither he nor a body has ever been found. If he is still alive today, he would be 24 years old.

The Dunahee case remains among the most famous missing-person cases in the country.

Detectives have chased thousands of tips and leads, and the investigation remains active. Recently, there was talk of a possible link between the disappearance and a possible child killer in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

In January 2009, a Milwaukee TV station reported that U.S. police found a missing-person poster of Michael inside the home of 62-year-old Vernon Seitz, who confessed just before dying, to killing two children in 1958. Victoria police dismissed any connection.

In 2006, officials offered a $100,000 reward for information on the case, but no solid information was presented.

A man in Port McNeill, B.C., was rumoured to be Michael until DNA tests proved otherwise.

Michael's parents say they have never given up hope that their son might one day turn up alive.

Victoria Times Colonist

© Copyright (c) The Victoria Times Colonist

Missing teen from Nanaimo

File # 2011- 5911 - 2011-03-21 18:34 PDT

Police in Nanaimo are requesting the public’s assistance in locating a missing 17 year old male.

Christian Andrew Francis, aged 17,was reported missing by his mother on March 6,2011. Christian is described as Caucasian, 6'3" (191 cm) and 150 lbs (068 kg) with blue eyes and brown hair.

The police do not suspect foul play but are concerned as Christian has been involved in high risk activities in the past. Constable Sherri Wade, media spokesperson for Nanaimo RCMP says: “Christian’s family is concerned for his safety. The police have been following various leads for the past two weeks and now we are asking Christian’s friends to spread the word that his family misses him and are worried.”

To date there have been no confirmed sightings of Christian Andrew Francis. If you see Christian, please contact the Nanaimo RCMP at 250-754-2345, or call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477(TIPS). You can also go online at www.nanaimocrimestoppers.com

Miguel Goncalves

Keremeos BC

RCMP need your help to find missing man

CHBC News, Kelowna: Wednesday, March 16, 2011 12:36 PM

Keremeos RCMP need your help to crack the case of a missing person.

Miguel Goncalves, 49, went missing in November 2007.

He is 5’6” and approximately 150 pounds with black hair and brown eyes.

Goncalves usually wore a baseball cap.

He speaks with a Portuguese accent and had a mustache and short beard.

He walked most places and often hung around downtown Keremeos and Upper Bench along Highway 3A.

Anyone with information about Goncalves is asked to contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or visit www.southokanagancrimestoppers.ca

Nanaimo

Missing 15 year old girl

 File # 2011-5999

2011-03-14 16:15 PDT

Police in Nanaimo are requesting the public’s assistance in locating a missing 15 year old girl.

Lilith BENTLEY left her father’s home a month ago and had been communicating with her father and mother through Facebook; however communication with parents ended on March 7th,2011.

BENTLEY is described as Caucasian, approximately 5'9 and 120 pounds. She has blonde shoulder length hair and blue eyes.

 “Investigators in Nanaimo are concerned that Lilith may be engaging in high risk activity and we are worried for her safety. Her family and the police are asking Lilith or anyone who knows where she is to come forward.” said Constable Sherri Wade, media spokesperson for the Nanaimo RCMP.

Maria MARIN

Kimberley BC

Missing Person: Maria MARIN

File # 2010-6971

2011-02-28 14:28 PST

The Kimberley RCMP are requesting the assistance of the public in locating a missing female. 46 year old Maria MARIN, originally from Ontario was last seen in the area of Johnson Lake, approximately 45 km North of Kimberley, BC, around the 8th of August, 2010. At that time, she advised police that she was going on a spiritual walk. Although her destination was unknown, she may have traveled north along Hwy 93/95, towards Invermere

Maria is known to hitch hike and walk long distances. Police efforts to locate Maria, which involved ground searches of the area where she was last seen have been unsuccessful. Her family would like to hear from her, and police are asking for public assistance in locating her.

Maria is described as having a brown complexion, she is 5'9" (175 cm) tall, weighs 210 lbs (95kg), and has reddish brown hair and brown eyes. Her photograph is attached.

If anyone has had any past dealings with Maria, or someone matching her description, please contact the Kimberley RCMP at (250) 427-4811, or your local police department.

Surrey BC

Father returns to B.C. to plea for help in case of his missing son

By Alyssa Noel, The Province September 2, 2011

Malcolm Begg returned to Vancouver for the first time in 25 years Friday to make a plea to the public to help find his missing son.

Stephen Begg, a quiet 36-year-old software developer who loves the outdoors, was reported missing Feb. 16.

“We’re always hopeful, but at the same time, we’ve accepted that it may not be the answer we want. However, we would like to hear something. At least it would give us some kind of closure. We go through all scenarios of what could’ve happened. We’re hopeful, but we’re also realistic,” Malcolm said, after trekking from Florida to re-ignite interest in the case.

Stephen was last seen at his Surrey home in the 16800 block of Fraser Highway Feb. 6. After examining his hard drive, investigators determined he was on his computer until around 2:30 a.m. Feb. 7.

“That’s the last record anyone has of him,” Malcolm said. “He didn’t take his wallet, driver’s license passport. We believe he had his cellphone. He basically disappeared.”

Stephen moved to Vancouver, where his family lived two-and-a-half decades ago, from the Ottawa area a few years ago to escape winter. His work was solitary and he didn’t have a large circle of friends, but he kept in touch with family on a weekly basis, Malcolm said.

His message: “Just if anybody knows anything to get in touch with the RCMP missing persons unit. They have been super...We really thought the case would’ve gone cold by now. I’m so surprised they’re keeping it active. We really appreciate it.”

Stephen is described as five-foot-eight, 130 lbs with blond hair and blue eyes.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Surrey RCMP Missing Persons Unit at 604-599-0502 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting

Missing person to locate

File # 2011-21092

 Feb 17 11:46:00 PST 2011

Surrey RCMP are requesting the public’s help in locating a missing male (photo attached).

Stephen BEGG was reported missing to police on Wednesday, February 16, 2011 and was last seen on February 6, 2011 at his residence in 16800 block of Fraser Highway. Police are very concerned for his mental health and well-being and friends and family report that it is out of character for him to be out of contact for this long. BEGG is described as a Caucasian male, 36 years old, 5'8" tall, 130 pounds, blonde hair, blue eyes.

Anyone with information about the whereabouts of this individual is asked to contact the Surrey RCMP Missing Persons Unit at 604-599-0502.

Missing person: Lisa Marie Young

File # 2002-22236

2011-02-24 11:41 PST

Nanaimo RCMP are asking the public for their continued assistance in solving the disappearance of Lisa Marie Young.

For the past 9 years Nanaimo RCMP have continued to revisit this file in the hope that one day her disappearance will be solved. A Crime Stoppers re-enactment of her last know movements was produced by Shaw TV in 2008. Officers assigned to the case have maintained contact with her family annually and just last year a walking vigil attended by many was held in downtown Nanaimo marking her disappearance.

Lisa Marie Young was last seen at approximately 3 AM on the evening of June 30th 2002 leaving a house party in the Cathers Lake area of Nanaimo. She left the party in the company of a male who was driving an older model red Jaguar. At 4:30 AM she phoned one of her friends .That was the last known contact anyone has had with her.

The vehicle and the male who she left the party with have been identified by police. The driver, like many others involved in this file, is simply a person of interest. ”Through the years we have received hundreds of tips on the car, on the male driver and her whereabouts on the evening of June 30th. Many of those tips were helpful in our investigation. Now we want to hear from those persons who, for whatever reason, have not contacted us. Someone knows what happened to her and the time to call is now ,” said Constable Gary O’Brien, media spokesperson for the Nanaimo RCMP .

If you have any information on what happened to Lisa Marie Young, please contact the Nanaimo RCMP at 250-754-2345 or call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477(TIPS). You can also go online at www.nanaimocrimestoppers.com and submit your tip and watch the Crime Stoppers re-enactment of her disappearance.

Police continue working 2002 Lisa Marie Young case

February 24, 2011 3:08 PM

Nanaimo RCMP are again asking the public for help to solve the disappearance of Lisa Marie Young.

Lisa Marie Young was last seen at about 3 a.m. on June 30, 2002, leaving a house party in Nanaimo's Cathers Lake area with a man who drove an older model red Jaguar.

The last known contact anyone had with her was when she phoned one of her friends at 4:30 a.m.

Mountieshave identified the car and the man Young left the party with although the driver, like many others involved in this file, is simply a person of interest, police say.

A Crime Stoppers re-enactment of Young's last known movements was produced by Shaw TV in 2008, while a walking vigil, which drew a large attendance, was held in downtown Nanaimo in 2010 to commemorate her disappearance.

Nanaimo RCMP have worked the case since 2002, hoping to one day solve her disappearance and officers assigned to the case maintain contact with Young's family.

"Through the years we have received hundreds of tips on the car, on the male driver and her whereabouts on the evening of June 30th. Many of those tips were helpful in our investigation. Now we want to hear from those persons who, for whatever reason, have not contacted us," said Const. Gary O'Brien, Nanaimo RCMP spokesman. "Someone knows what happened to her and the time to call is now."

Anyone with information about what happened to Young, is asked to contact  Nanaimo RCMP at 250-754-2345 or contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or  online at www.nanaimocrimestoppers.com and submit tips and watch the Crime Stoppers re-enactment of her disappearance.

The Comox Valley RCMP are requesting the public’s assistance in locating a Comox Valley man. David Wayne Vanderest, 55, was last seen leaving his home on Royston Road on Saturday, Feb. 12 at approximately 3 p.m. He had not returned within a day or two and his family has become concerned for his well-being. Vanderest left in a green 2001 Pontiac Montana with a homemade roof rack for a canoe on the top. The licence plate number is 734 FWE. He is described as five feet, 10 inches tall and 166 pounds, with brown eyes and brown hair. Anyone with information on Vanderest’s whereabouts or his vehicle location, is asked to contact the Comox Valley RCMP at 250-338-1321.

Search continues for missing girl Katelyn Noble

Katelyn and Leona Noble

CTV Saskatoon

Date: Friday Mar. 2, 2012 7:05 AM CST

Nearly five years after a 15-year-old girl disappeared without a trace, police and family are still searching for her.

But even though her family has never given up hope, little progress has been made in this tragic case.

To this day, it's not clear what happened to 15-year-old Katelyn Noble after she left her house in B.C to be with her 36-year-old boyfriend in Saskatchewan.

Katelyn's last known home is a small farmhouse near Radisson. The deserted building doesn't hold much anymore, just some papers, garbage, and the remnants of what police believe to be a marijuana grow-op. It's all been searched many times. For now, it's one of the only ties Leona Noble has to her missing daughter.

Leona and Katelyn were always close, more like sisters than mother and daughter. When Katelyn moved from her Mission, BC home to Saskatchewan in 2007, her mother stayed in close contact.

"We kept in touch every other night," says Leona.

So when Leona didn't hear from her daughter for a couple of days, she knew something was wrong. "So many things went through my head."

Growing up, Katelyn loved baking, drawing, and other activities enjoyed by many little girls. Everything pointed to a bright future. But when she was just 14, a much older man came into her life.

"Greg was driving around in a light blue Cadillac and offered the girls a ride and a smoke and from then it just progressed into daily, or I should say late evening meetings," says Leona.

Leona didn't approve of Katelyn's boyfriend Greg, who was 36 at the time. In fact, she even called the police, but nothing could keep Katelyn from seeing him. When Greg went to Saskatchewan for work in 2007, Katelyn followed.

The pair ended up in Radisson, a small community on the highway between Saskatoon and the Battlefords. But then, a mystery happened. After not hearing from her daughter for a couple of days, Leona got a frantic call from Greg.

"Greg informed me that Katelyn went running down the road towards the highway."

Greg told Leona there was an argument, and Katelyn took off, and he couldn't find her. But when Leona threatened to call the police, Greg pleaded with her not to. He told her they'd been running a marijuana grow op. After learning about the drugs, Leona called police.

Sgt. Dale Rockel, the lead investigator on the case, says the disappearance was seen as suspicious. "We treated this as a suspicious missing persons case right off the get go because of the circumstances involved."

RCMP searched the home. They say they found evidence suggesting that Katelyn, her boyfriend, and a third man, Eduard Baranec, had indeed been running a grow op. They also discovered that the business relationship between the three had started to sour.

"Somewhere during that summer the business relationship began to break down and there was a series of arguments that did take place," says Rockel.

For months the police searched the Radisson area, and Leona even came herself to help, but they found nothing. Time went by, and the case appeared to go cold. Until Baranec popped up on the news in January of 2011. He is accused of murdering a woman from Surrey, BC in 2007.

Leona says when she saw the news about Baranec, her heart hit the floor. "It makes me feel more scared that she won't show up."

Baranec has been interviewed by the RCMP, but no charges have been laid in connection with Katelyn's disappearance. However, he was charged with drug charges related to the grow op.

The RCMP also did another search, which turned up nothing new. But police still believe Katelyn's remains might be in the Mayfair area, and would like people around there to search their properties.

Leona has set up a cross near her daughter's last known home. She says she continues to hope, and prays for Katelyn. "I love you with all my heart. I will never forget you as long as I live."

Sask. RCMP search rural property for missing B.C. teen Katelyn Noble

 The StarPhoenix May 19, 2011

Missing B.C. teen Katelyn Noble

Photograph by: Submitted photo, courtesy Crimestoppers Saskatchewan

Saskatchewan RCMP conducted a search on a property near Mayfair in connection with the case of Katelyn Noble, the missing B.C. teen who was last seen in 2007 near Radisson.

According to RCMP, investigators with the major crime historical case unit south searched a “rural location in the Mayfair district for Katelyn.” The property owner is not a suspect of any kind, stressed RCMP, saying he “has been extremely cooperative” with investigators.

Forensic anthropologist Dr. Ernie Walker of the University of Saskatchewan and RCMP forensic ID section was brought to the scene. Also helping investigators was the RM of Meeting Lake, which provided equipment to grade the area.

Leona Noble, Katelyn’s mother, travelled from Mission, B.C. and was present while searchers combed the property.

Investigators did not locate Katelyn Noble, but will return to the area for further searches this month, say RCMP.

Investigators have asked farmers in the Mayfair district to be vigilant when in the fields and to report to police anything out of the ordinary, including found clothing or material.

The community of Mayfair is located approximately 77 kilometres north of Radisson.

Noble, a 16-year-old from Mission, B.C., disappeared in August 2007 from the Radisson area, where she was living at the time.

The RCMP had previously conducted numerous searches of properties in the Radisson area in the months following Noble's disappearance.

In January, the investigation into that case led to the arrest of three people in another case — the death of a Surrey, B.C., woman in February 2007. The common link in the cases is Eduard Baranec, 33, who was living with Noble and her boyfriend before Noble went missing and was one of the three people arrested in relation to the death in B.C.

Noble's mother, Leona, previously told The StarPhoenix that the last person who saw her daughter was her daughter's boyfriend. He told Leona he was outside and saw Baranec kissing Noble, who pushed him away and "started running down the road." Noble has not been seen since.

© Copyright (c) The StarPhoenix

RCMP search of Radisson-area property connected to missing Katelyn Noble

Mounties mum on what has lead to cold case being looked at once again

Reported By Natalie Geddes

Posted February 7, 2011 - 10:34am

Based on a news tip, News Talk Radio has learned RCMP have recently searched a property north of Radisson in relation to the case of a missing girl.

It's a case that has remained unsolved for the last three and a half years. A 15-year-old girl from British Columbia was last seen at a home near the same town back in the summer of 2007. Sgt. Paul Dawson says the RCMP believe foul play was involved in the disappeared of Katelyn Noble.

Though he won't reveal why, Dawson has confirmed that officers were searching a rural property north of Radisson last Wednesday and Thursday.

“There has been some activity on this file as of late,” said Dawson. Last month police in Surrey BC arrested three people in relation to the murder of a 33-year-old mother named Amanpreet Kaur Bahia.

One of the three people arrested was Eduard Baranec. He is widely reported as the same person who was last seen with Katelyn in Radisson nearly four years ago.

Investigators are making progress on the case of a missing B.C. teen who was last seen near Radisson, say Saskatchewan RCMP.

The historical case unit conducted a search on a rural property north of Radisson on Wednesday and Thursday last week, said Sgt. Paul Dawson. RCMP were acting on information received regarding the August 2007 disappearance of Katelyn Noble, a 16-year-old from Mission, B.C., who was living in the Radisson area when she went missing.

Investigators were looking for evidence in relation to Noble’s disappearance, said Dawson.

“I can’t discuss or disclose any items that may have been located, but I can tell you that the investigators are satisfied with the progress of the overall investigation and the recent search,” said Dawson.

The story was first reported by CKOM.

RCMP had previously conducted a series of searches of properties in the Radisson area in the months following Noble’s disappearance.

Two weeks ago, the investigation into that case led to the arrest of three people in another case — the death of a Surrey, B.C., woman in February 2007. The common link in the two cases is Eduard Baranec, 33, who was living with Noble and her boyfriend before Noble went missing and was one of the three people arrested in connection with the death in B.C.

Noble’s mother, Leona, previously told The StarPhoenix that the last person who saw her daughter was her daughter’s boyfriend. He told Leona he was outside and saw Baranec kissing Noble, who pushed him away and “started running down the road.” Noble wasn’t seen again.
 

hscissons@thestarphoenix.com

© Copyright (c) The StarPhoenix

Tania Murrell-

An aged enhanced photo of Tania Murrell-
Missing Edmonton girl's mother dies without answers

By MARIAM BOCARI, Edmonton Sun

Last Updated: January 21, 2011 5:07pm

When six-year-old Tania Murrell went missing on her way home from school Jan. 20, 1983, her mother Vivian spent the rest of her life waiting for her daughter to return home.

But on New Year's Day, Vivian Murrell, 55, died in Peachland, B.C., never knowing the fate of her little girl.

"Since my mom passed away, I am doing everything I can to look for Tania," said sister Elysia, from her home near Toronto, Ontario.

"This is the first anniversary since my sister has been missing that my mom is not here."

Elysia — born on November 12, 1985, almost two years after Tania's disappearance — said her biggest regret is not being able to talk to her mother Vivian at Christmas. After suffering a stroke six years ago, Vivian's health has been deteriorating.

"Her boyfriend Lee went to the casino and found her on the couch, lifeless when he returned," said Elysia.

"We're still waiting for the autopsy results."

Tania's father, Jack, passed away in 2005 from kidney failure.

"I got a call from my aunt Vera on January first, saying my mom has passed away," said Elysia

"Aunt Vera is the one who was looking after my brother and sister the day Tania went missing."

Tania vanished on her way home for lunch from Grovenor Elementary School located at 10345 144 St. It was about 11:10 a.m. when she is assumed to have started her two block walk home on Jan. 20, 1983.

Usually, Tania walked home with John, her five-year-old brother, but not that day. It appears she didn't wait the 10 minutes for his dismissal from kindergarten.

There were a number of leads from witnesses that may have seen her. A realtor told police that a child and an unidentified woman were seen at 144 Street near 104 Avenue and the child had fallen and was was being helped up by the women or was being dragged.

According to the over 20,000 pages in Tania's file, there were also children who reported a girl being chased by a German Shepherd. Another pair of Grade 1 students said Tania waved before she stated walking in the direction of her home on 10426 145 St.

In the summer of 2008, a basement was excavated about 20 blocks from where the Murrell family lived in 1983. The lead detective on Tania's case, Howie Antoniuk, received a tip from a woman who says she was a playmate of Tanya and was suspicious about a hole in her basement during the time of Tania's disappearance. The $18 000 dig turned up nothing.

"My mom always told me if my sister wasn't found before she dies, she would give me a sign," said Elysia.

"Now I'm starting to get people who have seen her and people who have information are contacting me."

Within the past few weeks, a woman named Maria has contacted Elysia saying she knows information about Tania but was scared to come forward earlier.

"I know she's alive and out there," said Elysia, who has been in constant contact with Det. Antoniuk through the years .

"We just need to find her."

mariam.bocari@sunmedia.ca