The father and son who were missing after they had gone mushroom picking in an area north of Pemberton last week were found dead.
The bodies of the two Líl̓wat community members, River Leo and Peter Oleski, were found by a Lil’wat Nation volunteer search group around 2 pm yesterday.
“Our thoughts are with the family and friends of Peter and River and with the Lil’wat Nation,” said Sergeant Sascha Banks of the Sea to Sky RCMP.
River Leo and Peter Oleski left for mushrooming in the Upper Mackenzie Basin, north of Pemberton, on the morning of October 22.
The last time anyone heard from the men was at 2 pm that afternoon.
Their vehicle, a red Dodge pick-up, was later found in the vicinity of the upper paragliding launch.
Pemberton RCMP joined the extensive search efforts along with Lil’wat Nation and Stl’atl’imx Tribal Police.
They were also joined by dozens of search and rescue teams from all over BC along with air searches by commercial and military rescue units.
“The determination of the Lil’wat community and the search and rescue teams was inspiring to all those who participated in the search,” said Sgt. Sascha Banks.
“Although this is not the ending we had all hoped for I am thankful they were located, as this is not always the case with those that go missing in our backcountry.”
Donald Patrick says
Sorry to hear that news … guess just goes to show that it does not matter who you are or what you are doing, the bush and mother nature can be unforgiving if not totally prepared. The best to the families.