Today I thought I would do a FAQ post.
I get messages throughout the day from people wanting to know.
What is happening with the search?
Why do you believe?
How are you so certain?
What do the RCMP say?
Where do you go from here?”
Is it a bit nosy to ask? Perhaps, but I created this page to help bring Ryan home and to also create awareness of what happens when a loved one goes missing. Through my posts, I have tried to share memories of my son so that you may appreciate our love for him but to also know his character.
Why do we believe Ryan to be in the Sun Peak’s area?
It is not based on mother’s intuition. I will say I am trying to be more retrospective when it comes to my spiritual side while maintaining what has always been my strength: my intelligence. I would never be so arrogant to dismiss what is factual because I want to believe. The truth is, there is no proof that Ryan left the hill. The RCMP have no evidence and our private investigators found no evidence. Does that mean that at some point they may? Of course, when you search long enough, something is bound to come to light. Both are committed to continue searching and for that we are grateful.
Most people have a back story. Stressors or reasons that could point to why they may find themselves missing. Drugs, alcohol, despondency, jealousy, disconnection to family and friends, or anger. Ryan, by all accounts, had none of these.
But you are just his mother, how could you know?
Well I can’t, in all honesty. But what I will say is that the friends he met in just 2 months are as adamant about his character and routine as his best friends from grade school. That matches what we know of him. Could something random have happened to him? Certainly. But up until now, there has been nothing to suggest that or any other scenarios.
But if that is all true, shouldn’t you have found him by now?
How desperately I wish that were the case. We have searched as many square inches of the area as we know. It is so vast and completely covered in either snow or now underbrush, that makes searching so tedious. We also can’t say for sure the direction he took, or his level of intoxication. What was going through his mind will forever be unknown.
How long will you search?
Until my last breath. This is my son. He deserves nothing less. Even if he left willing, unwilling or unknowingly, we are committed to finding him. He is my son and I would burn the world to the ground to find him.
What happens next?
The RCMP continue their investigation. We will go back and search this week before heading back home for Jordyn’s graduation. Our plan is to come back at the end of July, in August, September and October. We will come to Sun Peaks each month until the snow falls and when it melts, we will come again. We will never stop searching.
Can I still come and search, even if you are not there?
We would be grateful if you did. There is no specific area. Now it is just hiking the trails and the ski outs, looking for articles of clothing.
How long will you post?
I think you must be tired of me. I honestly don’t know. I will do it as long as it feels right, I suppose.
Please know, you have all had such a huge impact on our family. We are grateful for each blessing you have given us. More importantly for what you have given yourselves, your community and this world.
Ryan’s legacy will always be about kindness and the power of love.