The case of missing Nicola Ranch manager Ben Tyner is being treated as a suspicious disappearance by the RCMP. Sergeant Janelle Shoihet says the Major Crime Unit has reviewed the evidence that has been collected since the young cowboy went missing in January and has determined that the case may involve criminal activity.
The 32-year-old cowboy and manager of the Nicola Ranch located near Merritt, B.C., was last seen on January 26. 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 the cowboy.
Tyner, along with his horse, moved from his home in Wyoming to Merritt in the fall to take the job at the Nicola Ranch. The family of the missing cowboy has made a heartfelt plea for tips and information in the search for their son. “To say that we are heartbroken is an understatement. Our hearts are shattered,” Tyner’s mother, Jennifer, said of her son’s disappearance.
Investigators are now asking anyone who may have seen Tyner the weekend of January 26 and 27, or a truck and trailer that may have transported him to the Swakum Mountain or OK Forest Service Road off Mamit Lake Road, to contact Merritt RCMP through a dedicated tip line at 1–877–987–8477.