CANADA Canada - Ben Tyner, 32, cowboy, his horse returned w/o him, Merritt, British Columbia, 26 Jan 2019

[Deleted member 238131]

I do think large farms/ranches change management frequently. In LEX, KY area, you can meet John Doe, stud manager at ABC farm & 6 months later learn he’s now stud manager at XYZ farm. There’s a manager for every aspect of the farm from landscaping/grounds to the GM.
I think guys like B sell their strengths to the farm owner & they bring them in. Like any other biz, ranches are always looking to increase revenue. If things are going good, there wouldn’t be openings, imo. I doubt B had any reservations about NR. He’s been around enough I would think he thoroughly investigated NR & was aware of problems.
I worry about someone with a scope shooting him from afar. Maybe not wanting to kill him, just anyone associated with NR.

NR had the same manager for about 2o years. He has now moved on to be the GM of WA Ranches @ U of C .

 

[Deleted member 238131]

Thank you SweetAnna, Can you tell us what the people there
think about what happened to him? After a week of investigating,
is the thought that this was an accident or foul play?

Most people believe that he got himself in to some sort of wreck. A few wonder if he went on to start a new life (I suppose a nice thought in one way, but he seems to be close to his family so, I personally don't buy that).
Have heard speculation on foul play; a truck & trailer transporting him to a different locale but you'd think that there'd be some sort of method of tracking back on that (text record on his phone?). Or someone recalling seeing that. I"m still waiting on whether he had saddle bags on him; are they at his home or on the horse? I read he was wearing cowboy boots...unless they misspoke most people aren't wearing smooth soled uninsulated boots in January around here.
That being said, how old-school was he that he left his cell phone behind? I guess it's likely, my guy left his at home tonight even though we were out for the evening.

 

[Deleted member 238131]

Most people believe that he got himself in to some sort of wreck. A few wonder if he went on to start a new life (I suppose a nice thought in one way, but he seems to be close to his family so, I personally don't buy that).
Have heard speculation on foul play; a truck & trailer transporting him to a different locale but you'd think that there'd be some sort of method of tracking back on that (text record on his phone?). Or someone recalling seeing that. I"m still waiting on whether he had saddle bags on him; are they at his home or on the horse? I read he was wearing cowboy boots...unless they misspoke most people aren't wearing smooth soled uninsulated boots in January around here.
That being said, how old-school was he that he left his cell phone behind? I guess it's likely, my guy left his at home tonight even though we were out for the evening.

Further to the speculation: I wonder if the stress of the position put him in to a depressed state which may have brought on psychosis? Only because it seems to me that he's been a cowboy, and a good hand/ranchhand and yes, he's travelled some....but did he have the experience/education to be a GM? A

 

[enelram]

Further to the speculation: I wonder if the stress of the position put him in to a depressed state which may have brought on psychosis? Only because it seems to me that he's been a cowboy, and a good hand/ranchhand and yes, he's travelled some....but did he have the experience/education to be a GM? A

Sounds like you all have similar questions that we do.
Was he known to carry a gun?
Is there any talk of problems he was having on the job?
Many old photos of him show small sized saddlebags attached
to his saddle.
Was the comment about the cowboy boots made by a person
who was last to see him?
What was he seen doing on Saturday? Have they nailed it
down to when he left?
Sometimes local chit chat is more important than what's in
the new articles.
Thanks again for your input.

 

[MsFacetious]

The arsonist is a local fellow and had tried to set fire to 4 different churches that night. He was successful with 2 of them staying lit; one being the historic church of the old townsite, Nicola.

Years ago the same guy burnt down the movie theatre on purpose ... although he claimed it was an accident at the time. (BT had nothing to do with the investigation; it's just he's a ranch employee and I suppose, his position with NR has the responsibility of being the spokesperson for the ranch). There's a church in town that sustained significant damage and the congregation is now holding their services at a temporary location. The fireman were attending to that fire when the call from Nicola came in about the Murray Church being on fire ... it all happened the same night within a very short time frame.

The last I see is that he was having a hearing on the 22nd of January I believe. Is he still in custody or did he bail out? Just wondering if that's even a viable theory for Ben's disappearance.

 

[Deleted member 238131]

The last I see is that he was having a hearing on the 22nd of January I believe. Is he still in custody or did he bail out? Just wondering if that's even a viable theory for Ben's disappearance.

I read that he is out on bail. what a justice system!

 

[Deleted member 238131]

Sounds like you all have similar questions that we do.
Was he known to carry a gun?
Is there any talk of problems he was having on the job?
Many old photos of him show small sized saddlebags attached
to his saddle.
Was the comment about the cowboy boots made by a person
who was last to see him?
What was he seen doing on Saturday? Have they nailed it
down to when he left?
Sometimes local chit chat is more important than what's in
the new articles.
Thanks again for your input.

I had never heard of him until it was posted on social media that he was missing. Pretty much all I know of him is what I've read; for instance read that the horse was unscathed and had full tack (but no mention of saddle bags, that's just me wondering), same as I read 'wearing cowboy boots' but for all I know that's journalism just generalizing footwear.

No mentions about guns or really much about him other than what's been reported.

They have not reported who is was that last saw him or where (private setting? public?); just that the last time he was seen on the Saturday & not reported missing until the Monday and his horse was found.

 

[superbee]

Thinking of Ben being on Global tv talking about the church arsons and justice, and wondering if he thought he'd go have a little Sunday chat with the guy who was charged with the arsons.

Wouldn't Ben drive his truck if the arsonist is in jail in Merritt? That is a long horse ride there and back. But what if he rode far out somewhere on the ranch lands on his horse to meet someone who claimed to have info on the burned church, stolen or missing cattle, --who knows what goings-on that Ben may have walked into in his new job? And when they met things went south for Ben?

I'm wondering why Ben took his horse, but not his dog. And did not go by truck or atv. Maybe, because if he was unknowingly meeting someone nefarious, they knew Ben would be most vunerable on his horse, so set up their meeting that way. If Ben was taken by surprise his horse could probably be scared off and Ben's left on foot. If he'd come by truck, or with his dog, or by atv, then Ben may have a had better chance of escape. jmo.

 

[Deleted member 238131]

Thank you SweetAnna, Can you tell us what the people there
think about what happened to him? After a week of investigating,
is the thought that this was an accident or foul play?

Just digressing back to the NR land; I'm hazarding a guess that the deeded land is well over a 1,000 acres not including a piece or two elsewhere in the valley. How much is crown for grazing I'm not sure, suffice to say there's a lot of riding opportunities.

 

[enelram]

Was BT in fact the GM or Cattle Mgr. at the ranch?
Who would have been his boss?
I read that there were appx. 4 ranchands who worked the cattle,
is that the same now or has it expanded?
Who owns NR, private or corp.?
Seems like the best source of information would be those he
was in regular contact with at NR.

 

[Deleted member 238131]

Wouldn't Ben drive his truck if the arsonist is in jail in Merritt? That is a long horse ride there and back. But what if he rode far out somewhere on the ranch lands on his horse to meet someone who claimed to have info on the burned church, stolen or missing cattle, --who knows what goings-on that Ben may have walked into in his new job? And when they met things went south for Ben?

I'm wondering why Ben took his horse, but not his dog. And did not go by truck or atv. Maybe, because if he was unknowingly meeting someone nefarious, they knew Ben would be most vunerable on his horse, so set up their meeting that way. If Ben was taken by surprise his horse could probably be scared off and Ben's left on foot. If he'd come by truck, or with his dog, or by atv, then Ben may have a had better chance of escape. jmo.

Wouldn't Ben drive his truck if the arsonist is in jail in Merritt? That is a long horse ride there and back. But what if he rode far out somewhere on the ranch lands on his horse to meet someone who claimed to have info on the burned church, stolen or missing cattle, --who knows what goings-on that Ben may have walked into in his new job? And when they met things went south for Ben?

I'm wondering why Ben took his horse, but not his dog. And did not go by truck or atv. Maybe, because if he was unknowingly meeting someone nefarious, they knew Ben would be most vunerable on his horse, so set up their meeting that way. If Ben was taken by surprise his horse could probably be scared off and Ben's left on foot. If he'd come by truck, or with his dog, or by atv, then Ben may have a had better chance of escape. jmo.

What do you mean about "Wouldn't Ben drive his truck if the arsonist is in jail in Merritt?" The ranch doesn't own the church nor are they the caretakers of it; definitely it's a loss to all of the community but it's the Church (Trinity United Church) that was the target here. Again, the arsonist also tried to set fire to other churches that night....successfully burning down one and severely damaging another one in town.

If he was out looking for cows and/or familiarizing himself with his new backyard it makes sense he'd be out riding.
He might have left his dog at home to give it a break if it worked hard all week? I don't know guess it depends on the dog; it's health; it's age; it's usefulness in snow/icey conditions?

 

[enelram]

SweetAnna, do you know if there is still any searching going on?
Do you know if KimRob..... is still searching or was allowed to help?

 

[Deleted member 238131]

Was BT in fact the GM or Cattle Mgr. at the ranch?
Who would have been his boss?
I read that there were appx. 4 ranchands who worked the cattle,
is that the same now or has it expanded?
Who owns NR, private or corp.?
Seems like the best source of information would be those he
was in regular contact with at NR.

It's reported he's the GM, not the cowboss .... perhaps with ranch changes he's both which means the owner (private) is his boss. Right now it would be a small crew and likely stay that way until it's in to calving season.

 

[enelram]

S A, do you have much problems with bear or cougars attacking
people on horseback?
Have you heard if any tests were done to check his horse and tack
for blood traces?

 

[Deleted member 238131]

SweetAnna, do you know if there is still any searching going on?
Do you know if KimRob..... is still searching or was allowed to help?

Unaware of KR but hazard a guess he's helping; I know of locals still actively searching but SAR has officially stood down (according to news reports).

It's day 3 of deeper cold weather so also have to keep everyone safe. Right now it's --22C so it's tough conditions out there. I heard of one resident had a sledding accident while out looking.

 

[Deleted member 238131]

S A, do you have much problems with bear or cougars attacking
people on horseback?
Have you heard if any tests were done to check his horse and tack
for blood traces?

Only read that the horse and gear looked fine (although many people have posted online wondering if the authorities used luminal (sp?) to test for blood traces). Do we do that in Merritt? Honestly, have no idea but if they did they haven't disclosed it. So far the police have not suggested foul play.

It would be highly unusual for a bear to attack a rider; I could see that scenario if he got between her and her cub but that's not a possibility right now. We have had a milder winter but I haven't heard of anyone sighting bears or tracks in January. Every so often there's a grizzly spotted but again, a doubtful thought at this time and in that area. There are cougars and they will attack . . . .that being said, you'd think his horse would have had some evidence of that ... unless the rider had dismounted. Every now and again a few wolves are spotted, so I suppose that could also be a consideration. Yet, no mention of signs of any of these predators.

 

[Deleted member 238131]

I"d like to know as to what his personal past is like? Had he been to BC in the past? Had he made connections with people prior to moving here? Did he have an X? Was he dating? Was he social? Was he the type that liked to go to the pub for drinks?

 

[superbee]

What do you mean about "Wouldn't Ben drive his truck if the arsonist is in jail in Merritt?" The ranch doesn't own the church nor are they the caretakers of it; definitely it's a loss to all of the community but it's the Church (Trinity United Church) that was the target here. Again, the arsonist also tried to set fire to other churches that night....successfully burning down one and severely damaging another one in town.

If he was out looking for cows and/or familiarizing himself with his new backyard it makes sense he'd be out riding.
He might have left his dog at home to give it a break if it worked hard all week? I don't know guess it depends on the dog; it's health; it's age; it's usefulness in snow/icey conditions?

If you read above the top of my post you've quoted, you'll see that I'm replying to sillybilly.

 

[zecats]

Thinking of Ben being on Global tv talking about the church arsons and justice, and wondering if he thought he'd go have a little Sunday chat with the guy who was charged with the arsons.

Those church arsons aroused my curiosity (or hinky meter as we like to call it here) as well. And the fact that he spoke about the incidents on the air with a journalist put him front and center in the news up there.

 

[zecats]

This is very unlikely.




NR has 1000's of acres of private and crown land they graze cattle on; and also has a number of cowcamps, besides the homeranch. I will try to find the landmass as many people seem to be interested in this ... it may help to recognize that it's not a small outfit and there's a lot of land to get acquainted with. NR is the 2nd largest cattle outfit in the Nicola Valley (DLR being the largest & running 20,000 head).

Several reports have stated that more than just a leisurely ride, he was looking for cattle that had possibly gone a bit astray. That's a lot of ground to cover, if that's the case.