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Search for missing B.C. man a race against winter weather

David Jeff of Williams Lake was last seen in Kamloops during the chaotic wildfire evacuations
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A search will take place in Kamloops on Monday, Oct. 23 for David Jeff, 67, seen here in September 2016 at Boitanio Park is still reported missing. Angie Mindus photo

A scheduled search has been organized for a vulnerable Williams Lake man who was last seen in Kamloops this summer, during evacuation orders caused by the wildfires.

It’s been more than two months since Lakecity resident David Jeff went missing – a well-known community member according to those who live in the region.

As investigators continue to search for any evidence that could lead to Jeff’s discovery, police say his last known whereabouts were in Kamloops on Aug. 4.

The search, set to take place on Oct. 24, is being led by the Esketemc First Nation, Tk’emlups Indian Band and Shuswap Nation Tribal Council.

They hope to find him before snow begins to fall.

Amid all the chaos during the wildfire season, little has been made known to the public about the events leading up to Jeff’s disappearance, including who transported him to Kamloops in the first place.

Jeff, who’s a member of the Tsideldel (Alexis Creek) First Nation, was single and never had children.

He is described as five feet five inches tall, weighing 146 pounds, with brown eyes and grey shoulder length hair.

Wayne Lucier, a homelessness outreach worker with the Canadian Mental Health Association’s Cariboo Chilcotin Branch in Williams Lake usually keeps close tabs on Jeff.

Since the disappearance, Lucier has travelled to Kamloops, Prince George and Quesnel to search for Jeff – the three closest cities that acted as evacuation centres for thousands of residents in the Cariboo region.

He’ll be one of dozens in Kamloops for the scheduled search on Monday.

“I hope something good comes out of it,” Lucier told Black Press Friday. “It is heartwarming that so many people are worried and getting involved. It’s not always the case.”


@ashwadhwani
ashley.wadhwani@bpdigital.ca

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