Whistler police suspend search for missing 80-year-old man
Posted October 16, 2023 9:13 am.
After more than 2,600 hours of searching over the past week, police say the search for a man in Whistler has been suspended.
The Whistler RCMP says it, along with dozens of volunteer search-and-rescue crews, failed to turn up any sign of Robert McKean since he was last seen on Oct. 9.
The 80-year-old was last seen walking his dog “Lexi” at the top of Alpine Way in the resort’s Alpine Meadows neighbourhood.
Police say that in addition to RCMP members, 300 people from search and rescue teams, community volunteers, firefighters, dog teams, and the RCMP drone all took part in the search.
“The RCMP have been in close contact with Mr. McKean’s family who wanted to express their gratitude to all involved in the search including all of the SAR members from across the province, Whistler Fire Rescue Service, Garibaldi Fire, and all of the community members who have searched and recorded their tracks in the effort to locate Mr. McKean and his dog, Lexi,” Snr. Sgt. Sascha Banks said in a statement.
The suspension comes after a new image of a witness was released on Friday, with hopes that the man may have seen the senior the day of his disappearance.
In a Facebook post on Friday, the Whistler Search and Rescue Society shared a photo that appears to show a man riding a bike, time-stamped less than an hour before police say McKean was last seen.
The senior is described as 5’6″ tall, 130 pounds, with a slim build. He was last seen wearing a green jacket, a baseball cap, blue jeans, and a blue Vancouver Canucks hoodie.
The Whistler RCMP says it will continue to investigate McKean’s disappearance, and additional search efforts are planned.
–With files from Greg Bowman
