Police in Chilliwack have issued a public plea for evidence to help locate four hikers who vanished in the backcountry at different times over the past nine years.
In a statement Thursday, Cpl. Teresa Parsons with the Chilliwack RCMP said the detachment receives reports of lost hikers every year.
"Fortunately, the vast majority of these people are located,” said Parsons.
Since 2016, four people have gone missing and have not been found.
"Police are requesting assistance and information from anyone who has spent time in the backcountry areas in the past few years,” she said.
RCMP are looking for people who may have located personal items such as clothing and equipment, which could provide information as to the whereabouts of any of these missing persons.
Police are releasing photographs of the individuals and more details.
Gurdeep 'Gordon' Sagoo
A 50-year-old man was hiking with a group at Baby Munday Mountain off the Foley Creek Forest Service Road on Aug. 14, 2016.
Gurdeep 'Gordon' Sagoo separated from the group to summit the peaks, but never returned.
The area he was hiking in is the popular area of Cheam Range in the Fraser Valley.
Sagoo was an experienced trail runner and hiker.
Timothy Delahaye
An experienced outdoorsman set out on a hike from Frost Road on May 14, 2019.
The 29-year-old was intending to hike to a retreat in Maple Falls, Wash.
Timothy Delahaye started hiking but never made it to his final destination. He was well prepared for his journey with lots of gear.
His sister, Joan Wolf, said he was planning to make his way to a Buddhist retreat and cross the Chilliwack border by himself.
"Tim is a wonderful brother and uncle, and we miss him more than anything,” she wrote in 2019.
Kristofer Couture
A 25-year-old man’s vehicle was found at the entrance to a popular trailhead.
Kristofer Couture was reported missing on May 17, 2019, and there are many unanswered questions about his disappearance.
Investigators believe his vehicle may have been parked at the trailhead of Elk View Trail to Elk Mountain for some time.
His mother, Eva Pucci Couture, said on Facebook that she has many unanswered questions.
“It’s been six long years since my son, Kristofer, went missing, and each year, the ache in my heart deepens,” she said.
"We are not giving up. Kristofer, you are not forgotten.”
Valentina Kushnareva
An 80-year-old woman went mushroom picking in Chilliwack on Oct. 3, 2019, and was never seen again.
Valentina Kushnareva left from the 4300-block of Frost Road in Chilliwack and never returned.
"It is so incredibly hard not to know and have no closure,” said family member Tatiana Kouchnareva back in 2019.
"We hope someone finds something in the woods that belongs to Valentina, and this will give the police a clue where to go from there.”
Anyone who comes across a personal item or has found something is encouraged to contact police or email [email protected] and list the following:
- A description of the item that was found
- If you believe the item may be associated with one of these missing people
- The specific location where the item was found. GPS coordinates preferred, but a location on a map will suffice
- When the item was found
- What you did with the item (left in place or took it with you)
- Name
- Phone number
- Address (optional)
