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Edna Bette-Jean Masters
Case Status: COLD CASE
File Name: Disappearance of Edna Bette-Jean Masters
Author/Contributor: Cameron N. P.
File Number: 104200126
Kamloops, British Columbia: The Mounties are re-examining a missing-person case in British Columbia that dates back half a century, hoping renewed publicity might spark an old memory that could explain what happened to a 21-month-old toddler who vanished without a trace -- or possibly prompt the missing girl herself, if she is still alive, to come forward.
Edna Bette-Jean Masters disappeared on July 3, 1960, as she was playing at a friend's house in the Red Lake area, west of Kamloops in B.C.'s Interior.
Her disappearance prompted a massive search, but police and search-and-rescue personnel were unable to turn up any sign of her.
Now, investigators plan to use new technology, such as DNA examination and software that digitally ages photographs, in an effort to generate new leads in the case.
In 2013, the case was re-opened by B.C. RCMP after 50 years. Cpl. Cheryl Bush pointed out there has never been any evidence to suggest the girl is dead, raising the possibility Masters, who today would be 62 years old, is out there somewhere.
"There is a possibility that this person is still alive. There was never any evidence found to the contrary," Bush said in 2013.
"If that's the case, then maybe this will spark somebody to ask some questions that they always wondered about their past."
Masters, who was referred to by her middle name, Bette-Jean, was last seen playing with family and friends at a friend's residence.
The young girl, who had curly blonde hair, blue eyes and a fair complexion, was wearing a green bonnet, a pink T-shirt and faded overalls at the time. She had an oval-shaped burn scar on her left arm, which investigators believe would still be there today.
When Masters was reported missing, the surrounding area was searched extensively. RCMP officers used an airplane and a police dog and enlisted the help of volunteers, but they were unable to turn up any trace of Masters.
One of the only leads was a sighting of an unfamiliar 1959 Chevrolet car with Alberta plates that was seen nearby with a man and woman in their late 20s. The car had either "cat eye" or "bat wing" tail lights, the RCMP said.
Investigators have never been able to determine the identities of the couple or whether they were connected to Masters' disappearance.
Masters' mother and two siblings are still alive and still wondering what happened to the young girl, said Bush.
Bush said police hope the attention to the case might prompt someone to remember a detail that could be related, no matter how seemingly insignificant, and contact police.
She said such reviews are routine in historic missing-person cases.
"It's part of our standard practice to review these files, just like any other RCMP detachment in the province, particularly for historical cases that were investigated prior to new technology or investigative techniques," she said.
Bush did not have any details about what specifically the review will involve or how long it might take.
Anyone with information on Bette-Jean's disappearance, no matter how minor the detail, is asked to come forward and contact the rural RCMP at 250-314-1800. To remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
See all unsolved cases in Kamloops, British Columbia
Any update on this case, please contact us at fileupdate@unsolvedcasefiles.ca
Iwaasa, Provencher, Tyner, Scurr, Shtuka, Neville
Case Status: UNSOLVED
File Name: Six Men Mysteriously Vanished in Same Region of British Columbia
Author/Contributor: Ryan A.
File Number: 104200185
Between 2017 and 2020, five men have mysteriously disappeared or died in British Columbia in the area north-east of Vancouver, around D'arcy, Kamloops and Merritt. Despite extensive searches and investigations, only two bodies have turned up and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) remain baffled.
Marshal Iwaasa, 26 - last seen November 17, 2019
Marshal Iwaasa, 27, was last seen by his family in Lethbridge on November 17, 2019, and planned to go to a storage locker. He told his family he was returning to Calgary but hasn't been seen or heard from since.
Iwaasa's burnt out GMC pickup truck was found by hikers on a remote forest service road near D'Arcy B.C., on November 23, 2019. The location was close to the trailhead to the Brian Waddington Hut near Pemberton.
When he was last seen, Iwaasa told the family he was going to visit his storage locker and the storage locker key and logs show his code was used to enter the facility and then, about two hours later, leave the compound.
Lethbridge police said that from the onset of their investigation, Iwaasa's disappearance has been considered suspicious, but there is no "credible, corroborated or compelling information to suggest foul play or that the occurrence is criminal in nature." Police said their investigation had determined that before he went missing, Iwaasa had "hidden the fact that he had stopped attending post-secondary classes." "In examining Iwaasa's personal affairs in the months leading up to his disappearance - including interviews with close friends as well as his financial, medical and social media activity - there is evidence to suggest he was experiencing stress in his life and had become withdrawn," Lethbridge police said.
Ryan Provencher, 38, and Richard Scurr, 37 - last seen July 17, 2019, found dead one month later
Ryan Provencher(Left) and Richard Scurr (Right)
Ryan, 38, and Richard, 37 were last seen alive on July 17, 2019 in metro Vancouver. Provencher's white 2019 Jeep Cherokee was found on July 21, parked in a wooded area near Logan Lake. The lake is between Kamloops and Merritt. One month later, their bodies were found in a rural area north of Spences Bridge, 80 kilometres away.
The RCMP has said there was "criminal behaviour" associated with the case, but no further details or cause of death have been made public.
Police said they planned to travel to the southern Interior and preliminary information indicated the men reached their destination, 35 kilometres northeast of Lytton, along the Thompson River.
In 2005, a then 23-year-old Richard Allan Scurr was arrested and subsequently sentenced to seven months in jail and two years probation for trafficking in cocaine and related offences. At the time, RCMP alleged he was a key member of The Crew, a gang affiliated with the Nomads chapter of the Hells Angels.
Ben Tyner, 32 - last seen January 26, 2019
Tyner, a working cowboy, disappeared from the Merritt area, after riding into the hills to look for cattle. His abandoned horse was found fully saddled on a forest service road northwest of the city two days later. Police said Ben was last seen at 2 pm, but it's unknown when he rode into the backcountry or where he was heading.
Search and rescue teams scoured the area, including crews from Nicola Valley, Kamloops, Shuswap, Central Okanagan, Penticton, Princeton, Logan Lake, Chilliwack and Surrey. Police said nearly 40 search and rescue members were on site , along with dog services, snowmobiles and air support.
"We've had tremendous support from search-and-rescue teams across the province," Merritt RCMP Const. Tracy Dunsmore said. She said it was "very unusual" for a seasoned cowboy to be separated from his horse.
Even after this extensive search no trace of Ben has been found.
Ryan Shtuka, 20 - last seen February 17, 2018
The 20-year-old disappeared after leaving a house party at the Sun Peaks Ski Resort outside of Kamloops. RCMP and hundreds of volunteers searched extensively through the village and its surrounding trails, forests and mountains, but few clues have ever emerged as to what happened to him.
Luke Neville, 48 - last seen October 9, 2017
Luke Neville was last seen in Spences Bridge on October 9, 2017 and his burned out white 2003 Ford E250 van was found on the Sackum Forest service road 20km from his home the following day.
A cadaver dog search of the area in June 2018 turned up nothing. The Neville family erected a billboard on the Trans Canada Highway in Spences Bridge, asking anyone with information to come forward. Police say they consider the disappearance suspicious. Brother Mark Neville says the family has not been informed of any developments in the case. "No leads, no suspect, no news," he said. "It's all in the police's hands and up to them."
According to an RCMP spokesman, all the cases remain open in each of their police jurisdictions. "The investigators in these matters are familiar with other ongoing investigations," said Cpl. Christopher Manseau. "The only thing noted to be in common is that the missing persons or victims are male, and their geographic location."
Source: CBC
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