Search for missing Redfern Keily Park hiker paused

FORT NELSON, B.C. — The mother of a hiker who went missing in the Sikanni Chief area says Search and Rescue (SAR) teams have suspended their search.

20-year-old Sam Benastick was reported missing by family members on October 19th, after failing to return from a camping trip in Redfern Keily Park that was supposed to end on the 17th.

Benastick last checked in with his family on October 8th.

According to his mother, Sandra Crocker, “endless volunteers” searching the Redfern Trail couldn’t find a trace of her son.

“We scoured the Sikanni Cheif with no results and the Buckinghorse today,” Crocker explains. “This terrain does not allow many access points to the rivers.”

“We have moved onto a new area of the [Prophet River] and hoping to find some trace,” she adds.

According to Crocker, a trucker may have seen Benastick driving on the Alaska Highway. She says she remains positive and is continuing to search.

When he left on his camping trip, Benastick reportedly carried a large 85-litre black Osprey backpack, a tarp, and other camping supplies.

In their last update, Northern Rockies RCMP officers confirmed that Benastick was last seen at the Redfern Lake trailhead on a red dirt bike.

Anyone with information regarding his whereabouts is asked to contact the Northern Rockies RCMP detachment by calling 250-774-2700.

Energeticcity.ca contacted North Peace Search and Rescue to confirm whether official SAR efforts have been suspended but didn’t receive a response in time for publication.