RCMP have suspended a ground search north of Whistler, B.C. for Marshal Iwaasa, but members of his family say that doesn’t mean people have stopped efforts to find the 26-year-old Lethbridge man.
Iwaasa’s cousin, Catherine Lee, says the family wants to clarify that just because the ground search has stopped for now, people are still working tirelessly to locate him.
Lee’s husband Ryan says, “We need a sense of urgency. We need to find Marshal.”
The Lees say Iwaasa grew up in Lethbridge, where he played high school football, and was a member at the Lethbridge Fitness Club.
“He was well known to everyone in the gym community.”
Iwaasa had been living in Calgary for the past year and a half, while attending school at SAIT.
He was last seen Nov. 17 by family in Lethbridge, when they say he planned to return to his home in Calgary.
He didn’t arrive and his truck was later found burnt-out on a trailhead near Pemberton, B.C. just over a week later.
A witness who discovered the truck said there were items strewn all around it including two passports, three cell phones, a smashed laptop, ID cards, toiletry bags and clothing.
Search crews and a helicopter were used this past weekend to scour the area once again, without success.
Ryan Lee says “at this point the family is crushed, this is a complete nightmare.” He says nothing about Iwaasa’s disappearance makes sense, and that’s why they need information from the public.
“People from B.C. and Alberta are doing everything they can, and we’re so grateful.”
The family has created a Facebook page “Find Marshal Iwaasa” which over 5,300 people have joined in only a few days. One person has created a map, where people can mark locations where posters have been distributed.
The family is asking people in communities between Lethbridge and Pemberton to think back to the period between November 17 and 22, to try and remember if they may have seen Iwaasa or his truck.
Ryan Lee is also urging convenience stores and gas stations to check their surveillance video during that time period.
“If anyone can find footage, we would be so grateful, and they could bring that information forward to the RCMP in Pemberton.”
Iwaasa is described as 5′ 11″ (180 centimeters) tall, about 170 pounds (77 kilograms) with brown eyes and shoulder-length hair. He also has a moustache. He was last seen wearing a green hoodie, a grey tuque, red high-top shoes and black pants.
Family said he often wears his hair tied back or under a tuque.
His truck was a dark blue 2009 GMC Sierra with the Alberta licence plate BLL 1099.
Ryan says the family has had a lot of sleepless nights and is having a really hard time right now, but he adds they won’t stop searching until they find him.
https://calgary.ctvnews.ca/public-asked-to-jog-their-memory-check-surveillance-videos-for-missing-calgary-man-1.4717751
