Too Many Missing People in BC

 Before our son Michael went missing January 2006 I had no idea how many people went missing in our province.  There are  over 7000 people missing in Canada but we usually only hear about them if it is a child and I can honestly say that a missing young man does not stay in the top news for long.
Michael went missing at age 25, January 10 2006 from Kelowna BC. Sometimes I think I see him driving or strolling across an intersection. Mike had a distinct walk I thought but apparently a lot of young men his age walk the same way. I am going to start listing all the missing people of BC (that are still missing) by the year. This will be ongoing and if you know of someone who is missing or has been found please let me know.  There are several other categories including On-Going Missing Stories and Random Thoughts of a Mother.  I will try to keep this site updated for the Missing of BC. When I post a missing person on this site they have been missing for more than a few days.

Currently there is no DNA Data Base of all the Missing People of Canada and there are over 600 unidentified remains in Coroner’s offices from all over our Country. There is a DNA data base for unsolved crimes however and in that data base there is over 50,000 DNA samples.  Judy Peterson’s daughter Lindsey went missing in 1993 and she has been searching for answers since.  Judy started an online petition to for a DNA Data Bank for all the Missing People of Canada. Several times a petition was presented to our Government only to be turned down. Unfortunately now only hard copies can be presented to the House of Commons. But please sign the on-line petition, it still shows support for a National DNA Data Base for the Missing People of Canada….

Related Articles

• Does Canada Need A National DNA Database? (amog.com)
• Families long for answers for missing loved ones (ctv.ca)
• Highway of Tears murder probe asks cabbies for DNA (thestar.com)

Qiru CHEN, 46, Missing August 5, 2013, Vancouver, BC

Qiru Chen went missing from the Vancouver airport August 5, 2013 after arriving from China. Qiru left behind his wife who has since returned to China. Qiru family has not heard from him since he went missing.

Gregory HRENYK, 43, Missing October, 2009, Watson Lake, BC

Gregory Hrenky   was last seen hitchhiking south on the Alaska Highway in October of 2009. The family and friends of Gregory have not heard from him since and are anxious for some answers.  If you know anything about Gregory’s disappearance please contact your local RCMP or Crime Stoppers if you want to remain anonymous.

Mike Bosma has been missing for 8 years from Kelowna BC

Today marks 8 years since our son Michael Bosma went missing from Kelowna BC. Never in my wildest dreams could I have thought up this nightmare we are now living with. Looking back I realize the pain is not any less but somehow as a family we learned to live with this heart ache and hopeless feeling….most days. The anniversary of Mike’s disappearance is a very hard day and Christmas was difficult again this year…still unable to set up a tree. Perhaps next year will be better although I have said this for the past 8 years or maybe we will just never have a tree again.

Sadly many more families are now experiencing our nightmare and living with the un-known. No matter how your loved one has gone missing and what circumstances it is still very painful. As a parent our children are constantly on our mind no matter what age they are and so our sons disappearance is constantly with me where ever I go.

I have discovered I cannot talk to someone new about Mike’s disappearance without shedding a few tears so meeting new people is a bit of a challenge. Inevitably people will ask if you have children and if I mention Mike the tears will flow and if I don’t mention Mike then I feel guilty for not including him….I am pretty sure I come across as an odd person at times.

Because Michael suffered from Mental Illness ( and trust me Mental Illness causes a lot of suffering) the easy explanation is that he took his own life, which in itself is a whole new horror. But there has never been any evidence of that – his body has never been found – and Mike is not the only young, vibrant, healthy man to go missing. Since Michael went missing almost 100 other young men have gone missing in BC alone. Thankfully most of these young men are located but I am constantly amazed at how many people go missing and how little we hear about them.  If your lucky your Missing Loved One makes the headlines for a few days. When Mike went missing I wanted to stand on the highest mountain top and scream for all the world to hear My Son is Missing!

Please know if you have a loved one go missing you DO NOT have to wait to report for 24 or 48 hours. Report the disappearance to the RCMP or your local police and get a file number. Contact the media and the many missing persons sites on Social Media and include the file number. It’s a good idea to keep notes on who you have contacted about your missing loved one and if your loved one is found please update the media you have contacted. Get a notebook and write any information you can think of…if your loved one remains missing you quickly become very scattered and the notes will help. Usually when someone is reported missing and it hits the media they are found within a few days…they are the lucky ones. If your loved one is still missing contact the media and update them with any new news. Sadly a missing person quickly becomes old news if there is nothing new to report.

We have learned to resign ourselves to the fact that we may never know what happened to Mike but our memories of him will live on with our family forever.

Last family picture. Mike went missing 10 days later.

Matthew HUSZAR, 25, has been Missing from Vancouver, BC since December 2011 UPDATE Sadly Matthews body has been located

It has been almost two years since Matthew Huszar went missing from Vancouver BC. Matthew was last seen at an office Christmas party December 16, 2011 in Gas Town. Friends who were at the party advised Matthew was sober and in good spirits when he was last seen

Family and Friends put posters up all over Vancouver and there was a huge media and social media coverage advising as many people as possible of Matthews disappearance.  It’s very hard to keep a missing adult in the news, something that anyone who has experienced this knows all too well.

If you think you know anything about Matthew and the night he went missing please contact the Vancouver Police or Crime Stoppers if you want to remain anonymous. Sometimes the smallest tip can be the key to solve the mystery of a Missing Loved One.  Trust me….a Missing Person case is never a cold case for the family and friends.

As the two years anniversary of Matthews disappearance get closer, thoughts are with Matthews family and friends.

http://mediareleases.vpd.ca/2014/01/03/missing-person-located/

Julia STROBACH, 26, Missing October 31, 2013, Courtney, BC

Julia was last heard from on October 31, 2013. Julia has a history of going away for periods of time but has always had contact with friends or family. The lack of contact has Julia’s family and friends concerned for her well-being.

Tom BILLINGS, 22, Missing November 25, 2013, Vancouver BC

 

Tom is a British tourist who has been travelling all over the world. Tom’s friends and family advise it is out of character for him to have no contact with anyone and are very concerned for his well-being. Tom enjoys hiking and had mentioned he wanted to go for a hike in the Vancouver area including the North Shore Mountains. There was search of the North Shore area and although there were foot prints found that were the size of Tom’s no other signs were found and the search was called off. Vancouver Police advise they are continuing to receive tips and are actively searching for Tom. My heart breaks for his family who are in England.

Dean MORRISON, 44, Missing October 22, 2013, Merritt, BC

Dean was last seen at his job outside of Merritt BC on October 22, 2013. Dean had contacted a towing company to report he had car trouble but when the tow truck arrived he missing but all his possession were left behind. Dean`s family advise Dean has three children he adores and he has never gone missing before. RCMP conducted an air search on October 31, 2013 but were unable to find any evidence
Family and friends organized a search on November 16, 2013 for Dean and received permission from the surrounding ranch to search for any clues to the disappearance of Dean.

Needless to say Deans family and friends are desperate for some answers.

Samantha PAUL, 26, Missing September 2013, Kamloops, BC

The words of Samantha’s mother broke my heart when I read them ““I love Samantha very much. I miss speaking to her every day. If anybody knows anything please call the police. Help me find my daughter”.
Samantha was reported missing from Kamloops BC. Her family and friends have been searching for her and RCMP advise the search includes all of BC and Calgary Alberta.

If you have any information please contact the RCMP or Crime Stoppers if you want to remain anonymous.  Sometimes the smallest tip that doesn’t seem important to you can be the key to solving the disappearance.

Erica Schmidt, 59, Missing October 5, 2013, Abbotsford, BC UPDATE Sadly Erica’s body has been located

Erica was last seen on October 5, 2013 when she was leaving her family home in Abbotsford BC. Erica did not leave in a car and does not own a cell phone.

Erica’s family are very concerned for her well-being as she was suffering from depression. The family has issued a public appeal for any information to the disappearance of Erica.

Although the Abbotsford police have received several tips there is still no clue as to where Erica could be.

There is also a face book page that has been started.  Social media is a great way to get the news out when you have a missing loved one.

There is still hope that Erica will be home safe with her family for Christmas….we just need that Christmas miracle.

UPDATE http://globalnews.ca/news/1059255/body-of-missing-abbotsford-woman-erica-schmidt-found/

$25,000.00 Reward Offered for Information of the Disappearance of Kevin VALENTYNE, 24, Missing from Vancouver BC since January 7, 2013

The family of Kevin Valentyne are offering a reward for information on the disappearance of Kevin from Vancouver on January 7, 2013. Kevin’s family are desperate for some answers. If you know anything about Kevin Valentyne please let the family know. The hardest part about having a loved one go missing is the unknown. It’s hard because life  keeps on moving forward and you are stuck, desperate for some answers. People expect you to be continuing on with your life but everything about your life has changed. Kevin’s family and friends lives have changed forever…. birthdays, anniversaries, any special occasion will always have that missing feeling. I would imagine that even if you lose someone you care about to death you have that missing feeling but when someone you love is actually missing it is hard to completely grieve, because you also want to be hopeful. That is one thing a family with a missing loved has is hope. I hope Kevin’s family and friends get some answers soon.