The Southeast Major Crime Unit is now assisting in the investigation of a missing person.
Rancher, Ben Tyner was reported missing to Merritt RCMP on Monday, Jan. 28 when his riderless horse was discovered on a logging road off Highway 97 near Winnie Flats.
“It really comes back to a resourcing issue where the resources from the major crime can be called upon from any detachment,” said BC RCMP Media Relations Officer, Sgt. Janelle Shoihet.
“It doesn’t necessarily mean that there’s any reason to believe that there’s any criminality involved. It really means that they have expertise that can help advance an investigation that’s now running into the eleventh day.”
The official search for Tyner which involved 19 teams from across the province including South Cariboo Search and Rescue, air support, drones, and horseback riders, and community volunteers was suspended Sunday due to extreme cold and poor weather conditions.
“If he has been out in the elements, it’s been quite cold and snowy,” Shoihet said.
“If he’s been out for eleven days in the cold and wind, the chances of his survival are pretty slim but at this point, we don’t have any evidence to suggest that he isn’t alive.”