The parents of a missing 34-year-old Coquitlam man who lives with mental health issues made a public plea Wednesday, more than three months after their son, Ryan McAuley, was last seen.

The local RCMP detachment also released surveillance video taken in a Maple Ridge store from February 15, the day McAuley was last seen, in hopes someone may recognize him.

Ron and Darlene McAuley describe their son as having a quiet and gentle demeanour. They say he was diagnosed with schizophrenia about five years ago while attending university.

“He knows he needs help, but the psychosis overwhelms him,” Darlene told reporters Wednesday. “That’s when he leaves.”

They say Ryan has gone missing before, sometimes hitchhiking. He has previously been found as far away as Alberta, Manitoba and Ontario.

“This time it’s different,” McAuley’s father, Ron, said Wednesday. “Before, he would leave us a note or phone us and let us know he’s alright.”

Police are hoping the video released Wednesday will jog someone’s memory, as McAuley has been known to hitchhike in the past. It shows McCauley after making a purchase in a store near 200 Street and Lougheed Highway.

“He is someone who can appear and present completely normally,” said Cpl. Michael McLaughlin with Coquitlam RCMP. “He is quiet, inoffensive, intelligent. This is one of the reasons he might be able to get very far without people noticing something is amiss.”

While police say they don’t have any idea where McAuley may be, they say there is nothing to indicate the disappearance is suspicious, and it continues to be treated as a missing persons file.

Police say there has been no computer, phone or banking activity since February. McAuley had been living in an assisted living facility in Coquitlam before his disappearance.

Ron says the family has recently suffered the loss of several other family members, which makes Ryan’s disappearance even harder to cope with.

“He has been missing for well over three months now, and we’re still jumping every time we hear the phone ring,” he added. “We are struggling to maintain hope we haven’t lost a son as well.”

When asked if she had a message for her son, Darlene blinked away tears.

“Please know your family misses you, loves you, and wants you back home. You always have a home with us. Please call us,” she said.

Coquitlam RCMP have set up a dedicated tip line for the case at 1-877-687-3377.