Ashleigh Lee Louise Pettman: Missing from Kelowna Since 2005

Missing Person: Ashleigh Lee Louise Pettman

Details from Government Source

Ashleigh Pettman was last seen on June 3, 2005, in downtown Kelowna, British Columbia. She moved from Grand Prairie, Alberta, to Kelowna in March 2005 to live with her maternal grandmother. In May 2005, she left her grandmother’s residence with her belongings and relocated to an unknown location.

Commentary

While it initially seemed Ashleigh survived her disappearance, her absence for over 20 years raises new concerns.

Key Information

• Last Contact: June 3, 2005 (some sources cite June 1 or 5)
• Last Location: Kelowna, BC (downtown or City Park)
• Age at Disappearance: 18
• Date of Birth: October 7, 1986
• Sex: Female
• Height: 63-64 inches (5’3”-5’4”)
• Weight: 101-105 lbs
• Ethnicity: White/Caucasian
• Hair Color: Brown
• Eye Color: Green
• Clothing: Blue jeans, white t-shirt
• Distinctive Features: Tattoos (Playboy bunny on upper back), tongue piercing

BMI: 17.89 (underweight at time of disappearance; note that BMI is a general guideline and varies by body type).

Official Sources

• RCMP Missing Persons - Case 2014004835
• Websleuths Discussion

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Research and Commentary

By Shane Lambert, originally written February 12, 2025

Has Ashleigh Lee Louise Pettman Been Found?

As of March 11, 2025, Ashleigh remains missing. Authorities, including the RCMP, continue to investigate her case as an active cold case.

Research Notes

• Global News, June 23, 2010:
  • Described as an "at-risk youth" and street person.
  • Disappearance not reported immediately.
• Langley Advance Times, 2024:
  • Called "the most challenging" cold case by RCMP reservist Darren Feist.

If Ashleigh struggled at her grandparents’ home and became street-entrenched, she may have had limited options. Hitchhiking out of Kelowna is a possibility worth exploring.

Call to Action

If you have any information about Ashleigh Lee Louise Pettman, please contact the Kelowna RCMP at 250-762-3300 or submit an anonymous tip via Crime Stoppers.

Angela Morningstar Alexis -- Missing Since August 17th, 2022

Missing Person: Angela Morningstar Alexis - 2025 Update

Details from a Government Source

On August 17th, 2022, a family member last saw Angela Alexis as she left a residence on the Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation in Alberta. Days before, she had been socializing with family and friends.

Last Contact: August 17th, 2022 (per government source); a news report suggests September 2nd, 2022 (APTN News).

Profile

• Last Location: Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation, Alberta (northwest of Edmonton, near Onoway)
• Age at Disappearance: 28
• Sex: Female
• Height: 66 inches
• Weight: 170 lbs
• Ethnicity: Aboriginal/Indigenous
• Hair Color: Black/brown, long and straight
• Eye Color: Brown
• Scar/Distinctive Characteristic: None noted
• BMI: 27.44 (overweight by BMI standards; note: BMI is a general guide, not definitive for all body types)

Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW): See related posts via this #MMIW hashtag.

Resources

• Government Source: Canada's Missing - Case 2022043376
• Online Discussion: APTN News Article

Commentary and Research

By Shane Lambert, originally written February 11th, 2025

Has Angela Morningstar Alexis Been Found?

As of March 16th, 2025, Angela remains missing. Early journalism covered her case, but updates have been scarce. The discrepancy between August 17th (Canada’s Missing) and September 2nd (APTN News) for her last sighting suggests possible ambiguity in reports.

Family statements hint at risky associations—her uncle, Francis Alexis, advised her to avoid drug and alcohol abusers. Angela had recently been released from prison and faced past trauma, which may contextualize her disappearance.

YouTube Coverage

This video explores details of Angela’s case, including family efforts to find her.

Call to Action

What do you think happened to Angela? Share your thoughts below or help spread awareness using #MMIW.

Brian Douglas Adrain -- Missing Since February 5th, 1991

Missing Person: Brian Douglas Adrain

Details from a government source (might be paraphrased): On February 5th, 1991, Brian Adrain was seen for the last time. Brian’s abandoned vehicle was found west of Millarville, also known as McLean Creek, in the Kananaskis area in Alberta.

Last contact: February 5th, 1991 (Tuesday)

Last location: Kananaskis, Alberta, west of Millarville or McLean Creek

Age when Brian Douglas Adrain disappeared: 37

Sex: Male

Height in inches: 69

Weight in pounds (lbs): 146

Ethnicity: White/Caucasian

Hair color: Brown and long

Eye Color: Green

Scar or distinctive characteristic:

Link to Government Source (Canada's Missing): 2014003507 (right click to open)

Online discussion page: Brian Douglas Adrain (right-click to open)

BMI means body mass index. It is meant to describe someone's healthy body weight relative to the individual's height. It is only food for thought because it does not account for all body types.

BMI means body mass index. It is meant to describe someone's healthy body weight relative to the individual's height. It is only food for thought because it does not account for all body types. He was at a healthy weight by BMI standards at the time of her disappearance.

Commentary and Research

By: Shane Lambert

Original time of writing: February 11th, 2025

Has Brian Douglas Adrain been found?

As of the original time of writing, Brian Adrain has not been found. One source indicated that he went missing while hiking.

The McLean Creek area is at the foot of the Rocky Mountains, west of Calgary. You would expect dangerous hiking conditions with a lot of snowfall at that time of year in the region. Presumptively, I think this is a hiking accident. Secondly, you would wonder if there was an animal attack.

Gloria Jean Abotossaway -- Missing Since February 14th, 1992 After a Murder at Her Apartment

Missing Person: Gloria Jean Abotossaway

Nickname: Marty

Details from a government source (might be paraphrased): On February 14th, 1992, Gloria Abotossaway was last seen by a family member on Shuter Street in Toronto, Ontario.

Last contact: February 14th, 1992 (Friday, Valentine's Day)

DOB: October 7th, 1963

Last location: Toronto, Ontario on Shuter Street

Age when Gloria Jean Abotossaway disappeared: 28

Sex: Female

Height in inches: 62

Weight in pounds (lbs): 130

BMI: Gloria Jean Abotossaway had a BMI of 23.77. She was at a healthy weight by BMI standards at the time of her disappearance.

Ethnicity: Aboriginal/Indigenous

Missing and Murdered Aboriginal Women: Click the tag "missing and murdered aboriginal women" to see all the cases that are profiled at this site

Hair color: Brown and long

Eye Color: Brown

Scar or distinctive characteristic: Nothing found

Link to Government Source (Canada's Missing): 2014005078 (right click to open)

Websleuths discussion page: Gloria Jean Abotossaway (right click to open)

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Commentary and Research

By: Shane Lambert

Original time of writing: February 11th, 2025

At the original time of writing, full research on this case is pending. However, I wanted to get some bullet points onto the website regarding this case. I found some useful information on the Websleuths page for this missing person (her page is hyperlinked above).

The Websleuths page itself hyperlinks back to Canada's Missing, the RCMP's website for Canada's missing people. However, it's not clear where the Websleuths user got the info (web pages change all the time). It did state the following pointers:

• She lived at 90 Shuter Street.
• The MP said she was going to Moss Park with her boyfriend, someone named Lenny.
• They were going to meet someone named Bob Russo.
• Gloria Abotossaway took her birth certificate and a status card with her (a status card is a card that some Indigenous people in Canada have; it is government identification that pertains to The Indian Act); She was a member of the Aundeck Omni Kaning First Nations, otherwise known as Sucker Creek First Nations in Little Current, Manitoulin Island.
• The missing person had previous disappearances that were presumptively voluntary and short-term.
• There was a murder in her apartment the night she disappeared. The victim was David Marlatt.
• There was a statement saying that Gloria was not considered to be involved in anything suspicious, despite the murder of someone in her apartment.

Her address at 90 Shuter Street is visible in Google Maps going back to September 2007. You can visit this page to see the building and what it looked like at that time.

It's said she was going to Moss Park, which would be a very short walk from her address. This was known as a rough area in 1992, with drug transactions and dangerous people.

She did go missing on Valentine's Day and the MP was with her boyfriend. This wasn't someone that anyone in her circles knew well as he has not been identified (only as "Lenny").

Can't Look Further Than The Murder in Her Apartment

I think the elephant in the room with this case was that there was a murder in her apartment the night of her disappearance. She clearly wasn't having a standard day.

I think anyone thinking about this case should wonder what it means exactly to go missing on the same day that there is a murder in your apartment of another individual, a murder that the police did not think you committed.

The murdered man was named David Marlatt. I did some research, I think I found the murderer, but I don't want to name him in print. I do feel safe in saying that Gloria Jean Abotossaway kept some dangerous associations.

Did she see too much? More research is necessary on this case.

My inclination is that someone had a motive to disappear her. However, the kind of person who has a murder take place in their apartment is someone more likely to have dangerous associations.

Furthermore, in news sources, it is stated that she has not filed taxes since at least the year 2000. If she filed in that year, then it would mean she survived her disappearance date by several years.

Are we dealing with two dates in this case? One in 1992 and then another around 2000? Tax returns were signed back then, so would that be proof she survived the timeframe after the murder in her apartment?

Yet, her family has not seen her since the night of the murder in 1992. She is missing from them in that sense, but it seems like she has a paper trail extending to the year 2000.

The last thing I want to say at this time is that "Lenny" and "Bob Russo," whoever they are, could have many name variations. Lenny could be all of Leo, Leonard, Leonardo, and perhaps more. Meanwhile, Bob could be Bobby, Robert, Rob, Robbie, Robby, and perhaps more as well. Anyone researching this case should be aware of all the different spellings.

I also wondered if Russo was the spelling of the name or just how it sounded. If it is just the way the name sounded, then it brings "Rousseau" into play.

Marlene Yvonne Abignosis -- Missing Since January 1st, 1984*

Missing Person: Marlene Yvonne Abignosis

Details from a government source (might be paraphrased): Marlene Abigosis was last seen in March of 1984 in the downtown east side of Vancouver. Marlene was engaged in a high-risk lifestyle. Marlene was known to work near the docks, and clients who owned boats would take Marlene with them on trips to Washington State and Vancouver Island.

Last contact: January 1st, 1984*

*Disclaimer: when a person is listed as missing on January 1st of a particular year, it can mean that they went missing on any date in that calendar year. 

Last location: Vancouver, BC

Age when Marlene Yvonne Abignosis disappeared: 27

Sex: Female

Height in inches: 66

Weight in pounds (lbs): 119

Ethnicity: Aboriginal/Indigenous

Missing and Murdered Aboriginal Women: Click the hashtag to see all of the "missing and murdered aboriginal women" profiled at this site

Hair color: Black and wavy shoulder-lengthed hair

Eye Color: Brown

Scar or distinctive characteristic: Nothing found

Link to Government Source (Canada's Missing): 2014001708 (right click to open)

Online discussion page: Marlene Yvonne Abignosis (right click to open)

BMI means body mass index. It is meant to describe someone's healthy body weight relative to the individual's height. It is only food for thought because it does not account for all body types.

Marlene Yvonne Abignosis had a BMI of 19.21. This means that she was at a healthy weight by BMI standards at the time of her disappearance.

Commentary and Research

By: Shane Lambert

Original time of writing: February 11th, 2025

Has Marlene Yvonne Abignosis been found?

At the original time of writing, full research on the case of Marlene Yvonne Abignosis is pending. However, I did want to make some preliminary statements.

Firstly, the Canada's Missing website states that she frequented Vancouver's downtown east side. This is one of the most notorious areas of Canada in terms of clandestine activity and public safety. The epicenter of the area is East Hastings Street.

This is the area that serial killer Robert Pickton frequented. However, Marlene's 1984 disappearance date is still several years earlier than when it is thought that he started disappearing prostitutes from the area.

It is stated that Marlene Abignosis had a high-risk lifestyle. That is normally associated with prostitution, substance abuse, and dangerous associations (ie. people who use drugs or are involved in the trade).

It is also said that she sometimes went in boats with clients to Vancouver Island and Washington State. Unfortunately, this does make you wonder a client disappeared her in water.

Verna Susan Bjerky -- Missing Since May 2nd, 1982

Missing Person: Verna Susan Bjerky

Details from a government source (might be paraphrased): On May 2nd, 1981, Verna Bjerky was seen for the last time hitchhiking from Hope to Kamloops, British Columbia. She carried roller skates over her shoulder and was seen getting into a vehicle with a lone occupant. Verna has not been seen or heard from since.

Last contact: A local boy saw her on May 2nd, 1981 (Saturday) at about 4 PM. Presumably, this was the person who saw her enter a vehicle. A friend of Verna's had seen her at about 1 PM in nearby Hope, BC.

Last location: Yale, BC is often listed as her last-known location, however, most of the early journalism suggested she was seen closer to Hope, BC, on the edge of town near the Trans Canada Highway.

Age when Verna Susan Bjerky disappeared: 16 (near her 17th birthday but she was 16 when last seen)

DOB: May 10th, 1981

Sex: Female

Height in Inches: 61-62

Weight in pounds (lbs): 110 - 115

Ethnicity: White/Caucasian

Hair color: Long blonde hair with short bangs

Eye Color: Hazel

Scar or distinctive characteristic: Gap between front teeth, scar on her left rib cage

Mother: Clare Chrane

Clothing and articles: $7 (there were no loonies or twoonies at that time in Canadian history), a handbag, a leather coat, blue denim pants, a red shirt with white flowers, a grey cotton sweatshirt, canvas brown "North Star" shoes, a blue and red cotton vest, and she carried rollerskates (these skates had her name on them "Verna Bjerky"). She may have had a knife as a friend claimed she gave her one the day she disappeared.

August 14th, 1997. The Vancouver Sun.

Her rollerskates and purse appear to have been found in or near the Freaser River near Highway 7. I think that the date they were found was October 19th, 1981.

Link to Government Source (Canada's Missing): 2014001314 (right click to open)

Websleuths discussion page: Verna Susan Bjerky (right click to open)

BMI means body mass index. It is meant to describe someone's healthy body weight relative to their height. It is only food for thought because it does not account for all body types.

Verna Susan Bjerky had a BMI of 20.78. She was at a healthy weight by BMI standards at the time of her disappearance.

Commentary and Research

By: Shane Lambert 

Original time of writing: February 5th, 2025

Has Verna Susan Bjerky been found?

Verna Susan Bjerky has been missing since Saturday, May 2nd, 1981. She's among the missing people in North America who were last seen hitchhiking. Verna's missing person case had a lot of journalism, both back in the 1980s and even journalism coverage from 2024. I will review the details of her case as per the journalism that covered it.

The first newspaper clipping that I found that pertained to this case was a classified advertisement. Someone placed an ad in the Vancouver Sun on May 20th, 1981. This would have been eighteen days after Verna was last seen. If I am not mistaken, someone who cared about her wanted to find a clue to what happened to her by locating the roller skates that she had with her. The classified ad below appeared in the "Lost" column.

 

The first instance of journalism I found appeared on May 27th, 1981 in The Hope Standard. The town of Hope is located a couple of hours east of Vancouver. According to this article, the last person to see her was a local boy who saw her leaving Hope and walking toward the Trans Canada Highway. Based on this, you would think she would have been last seen within a couple kilometers of these coordinates: 49.39163243453994, -121.46069332795696. 

There was a bus strike wtih Greyhound that made the young woman reliant on hitchhiking for transportation. She was planning on going to Kamloops for one day to visit her boyfriend.

Her chosen route might strike some as strange. Most people who travel from Hope to Kamloops might take the No. 5 highway, known as the Coquihalla Highway. However, this highway was not completed until later in the 1980s. If you are looking at modern maps, then picture the highways without the No. 5 route.

In the journalism from 1981, Verna's case was often mentioned in conjunction with numerous other missing children (whether younger or teenagers).

In journalism after 1981, the name "Clifford Olson" is often mentioned in conjunction with Verna Susan Bjerky. Olson, who died in 2011, was a Canadian serial killer who focused on killing children. Verna disappeared during a small time frame when Olson was on a rampage in the region.

A friend of Verna's claimed that she and Verna had hitched a ride together in late April 1981 and that Clifford Olson was the driver. There was the suggestion that Olson tried to poison or drug each of them but failed (the friend, Cathy Lamberton, felt like peanuts they were gifted might have been tampered with). They were dropped off in Kamloops, BC safe and sound. Based on this, if Verna's path crossed with Olson's on May 2nd, she might have accepted a ride from him, with some comfort, based on her safe passage in an earlier trip.

Commentary and Opinion

That Verna's friend claimed that they had survived an encounter with Clifford Olson in the days before the disappearance probably is not a coincidence. I think she likely did meet up with him again while hitchhiking and that it cost her her life.

As for finding her, I think it might be futile if her body was dumped into the Fraser River. Her belongings were found near this river and it is the longest river in British Columbia. With the force of the river and flooding, something as small as a human body can end up anywhere in the region. Furthermore, the shifting of sediment could bury a body such that only a change geological event would reveal it.

If she ended up somewhere else, then the gap in her teeth is a clue. This can be cross-referenced to any Jane Doe descriptions.

The last thing I wanted to mention with this case is just how the strike involving Greyhound bus lines played a role. It's enough to suggest that bus line transportation in Canada should be considered an essential service as it's infinitely safer to be a bus than hitchhiking.

The Province. February 26th, 1981.

Jesokah Adkens -- Missing From Vancouver Island Since September 26th, 2001

Missing Person: Jesokah Adkens

Details from a government source (might be paraphrased): Jesokah was last seen at approximately 21:30 hours. It was thought that she was going to take a transit bus back to the village of Sooke, where her residence was located. By my research, this would have been a short trip.

Last contact: September 26th, 2001 (Wednesday), seen at 9:30pm.

November 10th, 2001. Times Colonist.

Last location: Sooke, BC near Sooke Road, which appears as BC Highway 14 or Juan De Fuca Highway on modern maps. In newspaper coverage, it says she was last seen "heading" to a bus stop outside Saseenos Elementary School, which is near where she went to high school. Furthermore, these buildings were not far from her home. 

After researching the case, I would say Sooke Road around Saseenos Elementary School and Edward Milne Community School is where she was last seen. I did notice that the newspaper coverage of her last known location toggled between her last being seen walking to a bus stop or standing at a bus stop. Perhaps it's a small difference. There is a memorial that appears on Google Maps at 6072 Sooke Road in the westbound lane that marks her last-known location (use old dates for Google Maps if its overgrown in modern times).

October 9th, 2001. The Province,

Yet, another source says she was last seen hitchhiking, which is ominous. However, I do think that this source, posted below, got the information wrong.

October 12th, 2001. Times Colonist.

Age when Jesokah Adkens disappeared: 17

DOB: May 1st, 1984

Sex: Female

Height in inches: 65

Weight in pounds (lbs): 88 pounds according to Canada's Missing but described as 110 pounds in a media article. That is a huge discrepancy but I think if anyone is cross-referencing this to a Jane Doe, use the 110-pound measurement. A weight of 88 pounds at a height of 5'5" would be a person whose weight could be viewed as unhealthily low.

Times Colonist. October 27th, 2001.

Ethnicity: White/Caucasian

Hair color: Blonde, long and straight

Eye Color: Blue

Scar or distinctive characteristic: Scar on her chin, under her lip

Link to Government Source: 2001008160 (right click to open)

Websleuths discussion page: Jesokah Adkens (right click to open)

Clothing: According to a newspaper source, she was wearing a light-blue shirt (called a fleece top in one source), dark blue jeans, and running shoes when she disappeared. Another source says she was wearing a black bomber-styled pullover jacket, her shirt featured The Doors, and her shoes were black.

Parents: Clayton or Clayten and Jocelan Adkens

Commentary and Research

By: Shane Lambert

Original time of writing: February 4th, 2025

Has Jesokah Adkens been found?

Jesokah Adkens went missing on September 26th, 2001. She has not been found since that time. This is a case that received quite a bit of newspaper coverage, both shortly after her disappearance and then in the years that followed.

The Times Colonist, Victoria's newspaper on Vancouver Island, published the first newspaper article that I could find on October 3rd, 2001. It headlined that police suspected foul play in her disappearance. There were several details from this newspaper article that I will bullet point below:

• Jesokah was in Grade 11 at Edward Milne Community School.
• She went missing from a bus stop just down the street from her high school (in front of Saseenos Elementary School).
• She lived in the 6600 Block of Sooke Road (another source says she lived on Kaltasin Road but this didn't make sense to me; I don't see the need to take a bus or hitchhike to that road based on where she was last seen).
• The newspaper article said she lived with a roommate (female), which I found a little strange due to the MP's age (ie. she was a minor). But Adkens had moved out of her original home.
• The police made statements that suggested that she was not a runaway or suicidal. All of her ID and credentials were at her home. I found this very credible and relevant because I think the police generally have a tendency to label a teenager as a runaway or suicidal to take pressure off of their search efforts. 
• A tracking dog yielded no clues.
• The bus driver was interviewed but said nothing that helped.
• She had a boyfriend and there was a recent "quarrel" but that was described as normal. Another source said the boyfriend was not a suspect.

There are two bus stops outside of Saseenos Elementary School on modern Google Maps. However, the street-cam updates for the area only go back to June 2009. The modern bus stops were not present in 2001.

Presumptively, Adkens was waiting for a bus in the westbound lane as that would have been the one taking her home (which would have been a short ride). There is a memorial for her last-known location (48.38739149685625, -123.6908089900206). Toggle between the years at Google Maps if you have trouble finding it.

There was no police apathy in the early days of this case. I found a statement on October 4th, 2001, stating that they were treating her disappearance as a homicide until they had reason not to (Sgt. Don Brown qtd. in The Province). This same article states that she was "heading" to a bus stop, as opposed to being stationary at it, when she was last seen. However, another article on October 6th says she was waiting at the bus stop when she was last seen.

• Adkens had a probation officer.
• She had dinner with a male friend (called her boyfriend in the November 10th, 2001 Times Colonist) the night she disappeared. Another source, says she had dinner with three friends that night. The name of the restaurant and location would be a good tidbit to have.
• Adkens had a hitchhiking habit.

One thing that I really noticed with this case is that there were different descriptions of what she was doing when last seen. One source says she was at a bus stop, another says she was walking to a bus stop, and yet another says she was last seen hitchhiking. But the only thing definitive was that she was last seen on Sooke Road around Saseenos Elementary School and her high school, Edward Milne Community School, at about 9:30pm after dining out.

In newspaper coverage from 2019, Jesokah was described as someone who kept dangerous associations, involving street people and drug users/dealers. Furthermore, this article (May 22nd, 2019 Times Colonist) says that Jesokah received a benefits payment on the day she disappeared but it was never used.

Modern news link: Times Colonist, September 26th, 2021

• Stated that the bus driver who worked the night she disappeared was interviewed but was not able to provide any details.

Very Similar Case: Vancouver Island Disappearance of Carmen Robinson

Roughly 28 years earlier, a woman disappeared from nearby Victoria on Vancouver Island in a case with some stark similarities. The time gap between Adkens' disappearance and this former case is large but I felt that it should be mentioned. 

The case of Carmen Robinson involves a 17-year-old caucasian blonde woman who was last seen at a bus stop. The age, sex, ethnicity, hair color, hair length and style, and case details involving a bus stop do match up between the two cases.

Furthermore, the two locations, Sooke and Victoria, are in the same part of Vancouver Island. The distance between where Robinson was last seen and Adkens is a half-hour drive according to modern Google Maps and fewer than 30 kilometers in space. Lastly, both young women went missing fairly late in the evening as they attempted to travel home.

One difference between the two cases is that Adkens was last seen going to a bus stop or waiting for a bus at a bus stop (depending on which source you go with). Conversely, Robinson was last seen alighting a bus at a bus stop.

Carmen Robinson's case at Missing Person's Commentary.

28 years between the events is a long time. Yet, it could be the same person responsible for both disappearances. I felt that the cases could be mentioned together as food for thought as reading about the disappearance of Adkens did remind me of the disappearance of Robinson for the reasons mentioned.

Duncan MacPherson: Missing Person Case Caught in the Crossfire of Business

By: Shane Lambert
Original time of writing: February 3rd, 2025

Duncan MacPherson was a former Canadian hockey player who died at the age of 23 in the Austrian Alps. His missing person case has been covered extensively in media, including at The Infographics Show and by the Canadian television show The Fifth Estate. His case is relevant to missing person investigations because it highlights how the details of a missing person's disappearance -- and even a death -- could be covered up by the for-profit sector.

Furthermore, as MacPherson was a former professional hockey player, he was not part of the marginalized sectors of society. If his death can be swept under the rug, then it could happen to anybody.

Duncan MacPherson. A former missing person, found after
14 years.

Unreturned Snowboard: The First Clue to a Tragic Mystery

On August 9th, 1989, MacPherson was snowboarding for the first time in Austria. He disappeared on the slopes and there were two big clues regarding his disappearance that should have been obvious close to August 9th, 1989.

MacPherson, on his last day alive, had a short-term rented snowboard, one that he would never return. This should have been a flag that something was amiss.

Furthermore, his vehicle sat unattended and unmoving near the slopes that he snowboarded on -- for weeks after he was last heard from. If his unreturned snowboard raised some questions as to his whereabouts, then any astute investigator would also have found his unmoving vehicle and perhaps raised awareness about the chance that he was in danger accordingly.

While snowboarding on August 9th, 1989, MacPherson had some kind of accident on the ski hill. His parents realized that something was wrong after they hadn't heard from their son for some time. Accordingly, they led the efforts to find their missing son, not really knowing if he was alive or dead.

However, they did not receive much help from any police services. Their own investigation led them to a ski resort area in the Alps near the Stubai Glacier Resort. Furthermore, the company that he rented the snowboard from claimed that the snowboard had been returned, which suggested that he left the ski hill in good health. This turned out to not be true.

Fourteen years later MacPherson's body was found on the skiing slopes. Forensic experts concluded that he and the snowboard had been mangled by a machine, presumably the one that groomed the slopes.

Furthermore, some have concluded that, after this event, he was also placed in a shallow snow-covered grave -- in a deliberate act to hide the body. When this 'grave' melted in 2003, it led to the discovery of his body, which included shattered limbs -- and a shattered snowboard.

Profit Over People? The Ski Resort Cover-Up Theory

As the case was presented at both The Infographics Show and The Fifth Estate, there was a motive to downplay MacPherson's disappearance. The ski resort was a big part of the local economy and any negative publicity could hurt revenue for any business associated with the ski hill. I think it's this possibility that is a big point to take away from this case.

But I think it would be wrong to conclude that the whole town sought to cover up MacPherson's disappearance because his parents did find locals who provided key clues regarding his case. However, apparently, some people think that missing people are bad for tourism and they prefer that these matters not be investigated.

What would have happened if the snowboard shop raised awareness as soon as the snowboard went unreturned, or even a couple of hours afterward? It's not clear if this would have saved MacPherson's life or not.

I think late-returned equipment in the rental industry is normal enough that it's not inherently alarming. If someone is given 24-hour leeway to return something before raising alarms, then in MacPherson's case I think he would have died anyway. However, there was no need for him to stay missing for so long and for his family to suffer the mental anguish of uncertainty. For this reason, his case is a shame and an example of profits being ahead of human suffering.

Between The Infographics Show's and The Fifth Estate's presentation, I would recommend the latter. It's embedded below while this link exits to the former's coverage of this case.

Missing People in Dawson Creek, BC: Review of The Fifth Estate's Episode

By: Shane Lambert
Original time of writing: February 3rd, 2025

The Fifth Estate, the legendary Canadian television show, published an interesting episode on YouTube not too long ago on the topic of missing people. Titled "Why are people vanishing in Dawson Creek, BC?" the episode was uploaded to YouTube on October 11th, 2024.

It covers a spat of crime, which includes seemingly clandestine disappearances, in the small city (big town?) of Dawson Creek, British Columbia. The related stories have made the news in online media as well (related CBC news coverage).

The Fifth Estate: Missing People in Dawson Creek, BC

The documentary-style television program touches on a range of issues related to missing people. In the case of Dawson Creek, there was the suggestion that the town's spike in economic activity was a factor in the increase in crime in the area.

I had a lot of thoughts on this. Firstly, I don't think that a strong economy necessarily increases crime.  I think impoverished communities have tons of crimes occurring, crimes that simply never enter official statistics.

Along these lines, I do think a strong economy could lead to better detection of crime in that same community. Mainly, I think if an area sees an improved economy, there will then be increased budgets for policing in the area, as taxation fuels these services.

But I also think that the bigger the 'clean' economy is then the bigger the local black market is. From this perspective, you could see how crimes related to illicit activities would increase in correlation to the strength of the local economy.

What has reportedly happened, as told by The Fifth Estate, is that Dawson Creek has seen economic growth due to the oil and gas industry. This has spawned a "deadly turf war over drugs" which has led to murders, missing people, police investigations (or lack thereof), vigilantism, and public outcry.

I didn't mind this episode and liked that it connected economic growth to violence. It's a reminder that money isn't everything and that Canada is a society overrun with social problems that even people who are gainfully employed are affected by.

I felt that the police got off a little easy in the episode. I also thought that they could have explored the notions of "worthy" and "unworthy" victims a bit more. It seems that some members of Canadian society are more likely to have their missing person cases examined than others. This need not come down to issues of race or class in all cases: I think if you are hanging around with clandestine individuals, then you will be lower on the priority list if you go missing than someone who avoids a high-risk lifestyle.

But I do think the episode is worth watching. You should be able to glean a lot of risk factors about missing people and what happens in the aftermath. It is embedded below with an exit link here if the embedding should glitch or fail in the future: exits to YouTube's channel for The Fifth Estate.

Dana Leigh Mustian - Former Missing Person, Found Deceased

By: Shane Lambert
Original time of writing: February 3rd, 2025

Dana Leigh Mustian was a missing person. However, according to a recent news article from February 1st, 2025 at WRAL News, she was recently found deceased. "The body of a North Carolina woman missing for more than a year was recovered by a dive team Thursday in Vance County," the article stated in its subheading.

Mustian still has her missing person profile active at NamUs, the national database in the USA for missing people. However, that will likely be taken down soon.

She was last seen alive on November 30th, 2023 walking down Dorothy Road toward Connell Road in Warrenton, North Carolina. The news article said that a dive team found her body. She did go missing from a rural area and there are a lot of small bodies of water in the immediate area where she disappeared,

There is a Websleuths forum for this chat page. There were many photos of this person on her Facebook page and post activity until October 8th, 2023.

News story regarding Dana Leigh Mustian.

NamUS #UP137660: Newborn Black Female Found on a Beach

By: Shane Lambert
Original Time of Writing: February 1st, 2025

UP137660 is an unidentified female who was found on a beach on June 14th, 1951 in Hampton, Virginia. I think we are looking at a newborn baby in this case. This Jane Doe's NamUs page states that she was in the pre-adolescent group and that she had been dead for about two days at the time of her dead body's discovery.

Usually, the dead giveaway for a newborn baby as a Jane Doe is the height and weight (ie. they are exceptionally small). In this case, NamUs does not have those details provided.

NamUS #UP137660: In the News

However, I am pretty sure that I found a news story covering this event. As reported in the Daily Press on June 15th, 1951, two boys found a black newborn baby on a beach in an area called Phoebus. 

NamUs does say the body was found "laying on a beach" so the NamUs description does match the news story below. Furthermore, the date matches as does the sex, race, and location (Phoebus is in Hampton, Virginia).

These kinds of cases sometimes involve a mother who felt like she couldn't care for her child. But I don't think that amateurs will turn up a clue in this mystery. If it gets solved, then it would likely be the result of DNA, if they can get an adequate sample.

I posted the news piece in case anyone was interested in trying to expand the details. The youths mentioned in the article, if alive today, would be at least in their late 70s.