Wyoming Lostnmissing

#StillMissing Ben Tyner, 32, from WY. Missing from Surrey, B.C., Canada. Jan. 26.

5/2/19
Nicola Lake ranch manager Ben Tyner vanished without a trace on January 26.

No sign of the 32-year-old has been discovered despite extensive searches. His disappearance is now believed to involve foul play.

But Tyner’s case isn’t the only unsolved disappearance in the area.

Another man is missing from a nearby ranch, also situated on Highway 5A, between Merritt and Kamloops.

Dean Morrison worked as a painter at Stump Lake Ranch, about 45 kilometres away. Then one day in October 2013, the 44-year-old was gone.

Morrison’s mother, Elizabeth Faber, says the similarities between the two cases immediately caught her attention.

“My initial reaction was just shock, and then I started realizing they both worked on ranches, they both vanished without a trace and they were both in the prime of their lives,” Faber said.

Denis Gagnon, a former RCMP officer who is now a private investigator at BCSI Investigations, was hired by Faber to find her son and has conducted extensive interviews with nearly a dozen people.

“It may just be a coincidence, and I have to be honest about that,” Gagnon said. “But the fact is, this area is quite remote and there may be a connection between some associates, but we don’t know that. So there’s a possibility there’s a connection between the two of them.”

RCMP say they’re investigating the cases separately but Gagnon has little doubt officers are looking at every possibility.

“I’m sure they will be looking, because of the location on Highway 5A,” he said. “I’m sure they’re going to look at the similarity of the cases.”

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Is there a link between two mysterious disappearances near Merritt?

globalnews.ca

Both worked on ranches, both vanished without a trace and both were in the prime of their lives.

2 weeks ago

Wyoming Lostnmissing

#StillMissing Ben Tyner, 32, from WY. Missing from Surrey, B.C., Canada. Jan. 26.

4/11/19
The RCMP has resumed its search for a missing rancher who vanished in the B.C. Interior nearly four months ago.

Ben Tyner, 32, was last seen on Jan. 26 as he rode out on horseback near Merritt, possibly to search for cattle in surrounding hills. He was reported missing after someone found his horse, riderless but still wearing its saddle, two days later on a logging road off Highway 97 northwest of the city.

An extensive search that included RCMP and volunteers on foot and horseback, and in helicopters, vehicles and snowmobiles, found no trace of Tyner. Efforts were suspended in early February due to poor weather.

RCMP said they are back searching an area near Merritt this week with police dogs as well as air support.

Tyner is originally from Wyoming and worked at a cattle ranch in nearby Nicola. His father, mother and brother have made public pleas asking anyone with information about his disappearance to come forward.

"He was just big and strong and honest as they come, just a pure soul," said brother Jack Tyner, standing alongside his parents at a press conference in Merritt on Feb. 13.

Ben Tyner's parents, Richard and Jennifer Tyner, along with their son, Jack, have asked anyone with information about Ben's disappearance to come forward. (CBC)
"He wasn't the kind of guy that would get into trouble or cause any trouble. He would help anybody for whatever they needed. That was the kind of guy my brother was."

'He would help anyone for whatever they needed': Missing rancher's family pleads for any information
Last month, Sgt. JanelleShoihet said members of the Southeast District Major Crime Unit had reviewed evidence collected since Tyner went missing and determined the case may involve criminal activity.

www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/rcmp-resumes-search-for-missing-cowboy-months-after-he-di... ... See MoreSee Less

RCMP resumes search for missing cowboy months after disappearance | CBC News

cbc.ca

Ben Tyner, 32, has been missing since late January after he was last seen leaving the ranch he worked at near Merritt, B.C., on horseback.

1 month ago

Wyoming Lostnmissing

#StillMissing Ben Tyner, 32, from WY. Missing from Surrey, B.C., Canada. Jan. 26.

3/19/19
SURREY, B.C. — The case of a rancher who has been missing in B.C. since January is being treated as a suspicious disappearance.

The sudden disappearance of 32-year-old Ben Tyner near Merritt has switched from a missing person case to a criminal investigation.

RCMP Sgt. Janelle Shoihet says she can’t share why, but police now believe the manager of the Nicola Ranch could have been a targeted victim.

“After having taken a good look at all the pieces of the puzzle — two months of investigation — pieces are not quite fitting where they should fit.”

Tyner was last seen on Jan. 26 as he rode out on horseback, possibly to search for cattle in the surrounding hills. He was reported missing two days later when his saddled horse was found wandering on a logging road off Highway 97 northwest of Merritt.

An extensive search that included RCMP and volunteers on foot and horseback, as well as in helicopters, vehicles and snowmobiles, found no trace of Tyner.

Shoihet says early on, investigators requested assistance from major crime detectives, but until this week police had said their was no indication of foul play.

“Initially, there was nothing that was definitive in determining that it was criminally related — just out of character. But now, after putting all the pieces of the puzzle together … the investigators in the Southeast District can now say that they believe that Mr. Tyner did not go missing of his own volition. It is suspicious and likely, there’s some criminality related to his disappearance.”

Officers are asking people who may have information but haven’t spoken to police to come forward.

“That one missing piece might be something you think is insignificant, but could really be the turn-key piece of information for an investigation like this,” Shoihet said.

Before they left for their home in Wyoming in mid-February, Tyner’s family renewed their plea for any tips that might help the police investigation into his disappearance.

“Our hearts are shattered and our lives have been thrown into turmoil,”Tyner’s mother Jennifer told a news conference at the time.

“To think that I will never again see his smile, or hear his infectious laugh, never see him realize his dreams, never have him wrap his arms around me again, is unthinkable.”

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Disappearance of B.C. cowboy Ben Tyner 'likely' criminal, say RCMP

citynews1130.com

The sudden disappearance of 32-year-old Ben Tyner near Merritt has switched from a missing person case to a criminal investigation.

2 months ago

Wyoming Lostnmissing

#StillMissing Ben Tyner (from WY) missing from Nicola Ranch near Merritt, British Columbia, Canada. 1/26/19.

2/28/19
Into their fifth week investigating the disappearance of 32-year-old Nicola Ranch manager Ben Tyner, Merritt RCMP is hoping dashcam footage may hold some clues to the cowboy’s whereabouts.

Tyner was last seen Jan. 26 when he rode out of the ranch, possibly to search for cattle in the surrounding hills.

His riderless horse was discovered two days later wandering a logging road off Highway 97 near the Nicola Ranch. The horse was unscathed with nothing to indicate how it had lost its rider.

Following his disappearance, RCMP, search and rescue, air services, police dog teams, and volunteers combed the area, on foot, in vehicles, on snowmobiles, horseback, helicopters and utility vehicles, but Tyner was not located.

The RCMP’s major crime unit has since joined the investigation, but police say there is no indication of foul play.

Police are now appealing to the public to provide investigators with any dashcam footage recorded in the Merritt area on the weekend of Jan. 26 and 27.

Tyner, a Wyoming man who was hired at the Nicola ranch in November, is described as being around 6-3, 240 pounds with dark hair and beard and normally wears a black and red woollen hat with ear flaps.

It’s believe Tyner rode to an area known as Swakum Ridge, northwest of Merritt, and may have been searching for stray cattle belonging to the ranch.

Anyone with information on his whereabouts or with dashcam footage is asked the contact the RCMP’s southeast district major crimes unit’s tip line at 1-877-987-8477.

vancouversun.com/news/local-news/merritt-rcmp-seek-dashcam-footage-in-search-for-missing-cowboy ... See MoreSee Less

Merritt RCMP seek dashcam footage in search for missing cowboy

vancouversun.com

Into their fifth week investigating the disappearance of 32-year-old Nicola Ranch manager Ben Tyner, Merritt RCMP is hoping dashcam footage may hold some clues to the cowboy’s whereabouts.Tyn&he...

3 months ago

Wyoming Lostnmissing

#Missing Lita King, 14, walked away from Central High School on Feb. 11. Cheyenne, WY.

2/26/19
The search for a missing 14-year-old Cheyenne girl has now entered its second week.

Cheyenne Police Department spokesman Officer Kevin Malatesta says Lita King walked away from Central High School on Feb. 11.

"We don't know where she's at," he said. "We've followed up on the leads that we have here in Cheyenne and haven't been able to contact her."

"She's been a runaway in the past ... so we're not looking at her as an endangered person," he added. "(But) whoever she's staying with, who is preventing her from returning to her family or harboring her while she's being a runaway, is committing a crime."
King is described as being 5-foot-4 and around 170 pounds. She has brown eyes and had brown hair at the time she ran away.

​Anyone with information on King's whereabouts is asked to call police dispatch at (307) 637-6525.

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Search for Missing Cheyenne Teen Enters Second Week

kingfm.com

Cheyenne Police Department spokesman Officer Kevin Malatesta says Lita King walked away from Central High School on Feb. 11.

3 months ago

Wyoming Lostnmissing

2/21/19
CHEYENNE, Wyo. (KGWN) In a recent national study of the states with the highest number of missing people, Wyoming came in at number seven. The study was per 100,000 people and while Wyoming does have substantially less residents than other states such as California or Texas, there are still 45 open missing persons cases in the Cowboy state.

The Cheyenne Police Department reports that locally, missing people are usually juvenile runaways or those who are prone to wandering off and those residents usually qualify for a free program called Project Lifesaver. Participants in the program receive a free tracking bracelet that allows CPD to use radio telemetry to locate where the person is at.

When a lot of people hear the term “missing person,” often a movie based on people going missing pops into their head of someone being snatched while on their daily run. CPD Public Information Officer Kevin Malatesta stressed that while that does occasionally happen and gain national news attention, it is more common for juveniles to run away or people with disabilities or a form of dementia to wander off. When those uncommon instances in Wyoming do occur of human trafficking, the Community Action Team steps into place and is in charge of human trafficking investigations through both stings and posing as a prostitute or someone looking for one.

“A lot of it is, typically women, coerced in this lifestyle,” said Officer Malatesta. “Offered drugs, offered money, and basically enticed into and kept in it against their will.”

The approach CPD takes when dealing with cases involving prostitution is to investigate whether human trafficking is involved.

“We really try to work with them in helping them to get out of that lifestyle,” said Officer Malatesta. “It’s a very difficult thing to do and often something that can’t be done alone.”

CPD wants wants to be alerted if you notice any odd activities around you.

“People should always be aware of their surroundings,” said Officer Malatesta. “If you see suspicious activity, somebody’s following you, you feel unsafe, let us know. We want to know about it so we can investigate it, figure out what’s going on.”

To check out the breakdown and view the list, head to www.vivintsource.com/smart-home-academy/2019-missing-persons-by-state/

www.kgwn.tv/content/news/Wyomings-rank-on-the-States-with-the-Most-Missing-Persons-report-5061998... ... See MoreSee Less

Wyoming's rank on the "States with the Most Missing Persons" report

kgwn.tv

In a recent national study of the states with the highest number of missing people, Wyoming came in at number seven. The study was per 100,000 people and Wyoming does have substantially less residents...

3 months ago

Wyoming Lostnmissing

#StillMissing Ben Tyner (from WY) missing from Nicola Ranch near Merritt, British Columbia, Canada. 1/26/19.

2/8/19
The Major Crimes Unite of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police have been called to investigate the disappearance of rancher Ben Tyner. The RCMP issued a statement saying they have no evidence to suggest foul play, but the agency wanted to cover all of its bases.

Tyner, 32, was employed by the Nicola Ranch in British Columbia, and went missing Jan. 26 in a remote area northeast of Vancouver, B.C. A hunter found his horse wandering alone in the bush in full tack the following Monday. The RCMP searched for Tyner for a week before suspending their hunt, partially due to frigid temperatures.

More than a dozen search teams combed the snowy backcountry south of Kamloops, B.C., amid temperatures as low as -5 F, but suspended the search Sunday, Feb. 3. Tyner was originally from Wyoming.

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Major Crimes Unit Investigates Missing Cowboy

drovers.com

The Major Crimes Unite of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police have been called to investigate the disappearance of rancher Ben Tyner.

3 months ago

Wyoming Lostnmissing

#Missing Ben Tyner (from WY) missing from Nicola Ranch near Merritt, British Columbia, Canada. 1/26/19.

1/31/19
The 32-year-old man missing in B.C.'s southern Interior area has been identified as Ben Tyner, a cowboy with the Nicola Ranch near Merritt.

Officials with the ranch confirmed Tyner is the man missing and he is a manager at the cattle operation.

Tyner was last seen on Saturday, Jan. 26, but a search was not launched until Monday, when loggers in the Nicola Valley found a horse in full gear, but no sign of its rider.

Tyner is from Wyoming and his family is travelling from the U.S. state to help in the search.

Tyner was still missing as of KTW’s Thursday afternoon press deadline. Updates will be posted online at kamloopsthisweek.com.

Merritt RCMP Const. Tracy Dunsmore said other ranchers believe Tyner rode to an area known as Swakum Ridge, northwest of Merritt, searching for cattle belonging to the ranch.

Police say he wasn't immediately reported missing because he was working on his days off and may not have told anyone about his plans.

RCMP dog services and air support, along with members from nine southern B.C. search and rescue teams — including the Kamloops operation — continue to scour the area, but police say active logging and herds of wild horses have obscured possible tracks.

Local hunter Kim Robinson, the man who tracked down child killer Allan Schoenborn when he was at large for nine days in 2008, said he found Tyner’s horse early Monday morning, around 5:30 a.m.

“It took me about 20 minutes to get him because he was pretty jumpy — something happened to him. He only had one rein,” Robinson said. “But I caught him and tied him up to a tree.”

Robinson called a few local cowboys at that time to notify them.

“When they called me back at 12:30 p.m. — this really pissed me off — they told me that it was the manager of the Nicola Ranch’s horse, who had been missing since Saturday night. I don’t know why nobody knew.”

Robinson’s frustration didn’t end there, however, as he said he was restricted from searching the mountain by search and rescue and RCMP crews.

“I don’t need anyone to hold my hand up there,” he said, noting he had been out hunting on the ridge every morning for the past month.

Anyone with information or who may have seen a man riding in the Swakum ridge area on Saturday or Sunday is asked to contact the Merritt RCMP at 250-378-4262.

— with files from Canadian Press

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Family of missing cowboy coming from Wyoming to aid in search

kamloopsthisweek.com

The 32-year-old man missing in B.C.'s southern Interior area has been identified as Ben Tyner, a cowboy with the Nicola Ranch near Merritt. Officials with the ranch confirmed Tyner is the man . ....

4 months ago