B.C. RCMP still accepting tips on family's disappearance 35 years ago

Mounties in Prince George say they’re still looking for help from the public to figure out what happened to a family that disappeared more than three decades ago.

This month marked the 35-year anniversary of when the Jack family was last seen. According to the Prince George RCMP, Doreen and Ronald, both 26, and their sons Ryan, 4, and Russel, 9, were reported missing in August of 1989 when they didn’t return to the city after travelling to an alleged job opportunity offered to Ronald at a logging camp west of Prince George.

Police say the circumstances around the young family’s disappearance remain largely unknown, despite investigative steps taken over the years. In 2019, police led a three-day search of a property on the Saik’uz First Nation south of Vanderhoof using ground-penetrating radar and heavy equipment, but said they found no evidence of the Jacks.

“This is the type of investigation that relies heavily on what we can learn from the public. It is unlike investigations today where we can track people using their digital footprint,” said Sgt. Aaron Whitehouse, commander of the local Serious Crime Unit in a news release issued Monday.

“There is no surveillance to review, no banking records to follow or cell phone records to examine. There is little that would give us a clue as to where the Jack family went after they were last seen,” he continued.

Nevertheless, the RCMP says it has a dedicated investigator with the Serious Crimes Unit attached to the case, who will follow up on all verifiable tips received from the public. “This work involves examining original file material against new tips. Many of the tips received today were already thoroughly investigated before,” the release reads.

Police say the investigation will remain open until the Jack family is found, and once again encouraged anyone with information to call the detachment at 250-561-3300 or leave an anonymous tip to Northern B.C. Crime Stoppers.