The search for a pair of mushroom pickers, a father and his son, who went missing last week near Pemberton B.C., is now set to resume on Saturday, Oct. 31.
In an update from the Líĺwat Nation, search and rescue crews from across the province decided to take an “operational pause” for three days, with the search set to resume on Halloween.
At that time, the nation says it is anticipating 150 to 200 volunteers from across B.C. will join the search along with the dedicated search and rescue teams.
The pause was prompted by the warming trend over the next few days, which the nation said will hopefully melt snow and possibly expose new evidence.
Read more:
Search underway for mushroom pickers missing near Pemberton
The Lil’wat Nation has identified the missing men as River Leo and Peter Oleski, and said no one had heard from them since about 2 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 22.
The two men had ventured into the Upper Mackenzie Basin, north of Pemberton, according to Pemberton RCMP.
The Lil’wat Nation said last week the men’s red, 1997 Dodge Ram 1500 pickup truck was found near the Mackenzie Basin upper paragliding launch.
Police are asking anyone in the Mackenzie Basin area to keep an eye out for the men.
Earlier this week, search crews believed River Leo’s phone had been turned on, however, it was later revealed the signal came from someone calling his phone and the call going to voicemail, the Lil’wat Nation confirmed.
Peter Oleski, 48, is described as six-foot-two with a medium build, brown hair and hazel eyes. He was last seen wearing black pants and a dark grey sweater.
River Leo, 21, is described as six-foot-two with a slim build, brown hair and brown eyes.