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

[Steelslady]

Depending on where you are in the valley you will lose reception and may not be able to reply to texts in a timely manner. Sometimes, I receive texts but am unable to push through the reply. Also, much depends on your carrier and your phone, and if both parties are using the same brand of phone. Also, sometimes we force ourselves to put away our phones because it's considered rude if you're with people. JMO

I totally understand what you are saying, but this JD said he tried to contact him on Sunday, to which Ben was clearly already missing by then. So glad to have your input on here- it's really giving me a much better visual in mind when thinking of this case. Much appreciated, @SweetAnna

 

[Trudie]

https://www.columbiavalleypioneer.c...missing-man-to-leave-merritt-without-answers/

Tyner, a manager at the Nicola Ranch, was last seen on Jan. 26. His horse was found near a logging road, riderless and in full tack, two days later. Police confirmed Wednesday that it’s believed a truck and trailer may have transported him to the Swakum Mountain or nearby service roads, but so far a driver has not come forward.

Upwards of a dozen different search and rescue groups have scoured the nearby mountains and backcountry. His family came to Merritt, from their hometown of Laramie, Wyo., to help as well. But after nearly a week of no sign of him, and increasingly poor weather, the search was suspended. The RCMP’s major crime unit was also brought in to ensure there are no missing links.

Jack said in a Facebook post that “God couldn’t have a better cowboy to watch his herd.”

He said his brother loved being a cowboy who always looked ahead to the next adventure. He recounted one of the last days he got to ride with his him in their hometown.

Heartbreaking.

 

[LFA]

I totally understand what you are saying, but this JD said he tried to contact him on Sunday, to which Ben was clearly already missing by then. So glad to have your input on here- it's really giving me a much better visual in mind when thinking of this case. Much appreciated, @SweetAnna

Did BT have a girlfriend?

 

[Trudie]

Did BT have a girlfriend?

You would need to look on other sites for that info. Not in the scope of TOS.

 

[Steelslady]

Did BT have a girlfriend?

I have no idea! Maybe someone else knows?

 

[Tripod]

Thinking of Ben.

 

[Trudie]

So hoping for some news on this, soon.
This must be so painful for the Tyner family & friends.

 

[Hoosier952]

"One thing the ranch knows for sure is that Tyner was very safety conscious but what he did was very out of character."

"Our people never go out alone and if they do we use a 'call in' procedure."

Mystery of missing cowboy - BC News

Snipped and BBM- First, that bolded sentence contradicts itself and it bothers me. I'm probably reading into it too much, but I have some questions about this "call in" procedure.

-Was the solo person supposed to inform someone at the ranch before they left? Who were they to report to? Supervisor or just any employee? How official was this procedure? Does it apply to all employees on and off the clock? Or only to employees that are leaving directly from the ranch and/or traveling on the ranch? Is the procedure followed all the time? Did Ben have a history of going out alone or was this a first time thing? Would he have known about or remembered the procedure? How were employees to "call in" if there wasn't reception? Did I remember reading Ben wouldn't/didn't take his phone because there was no reception?

 

[enelram]

Snipped and BBM- First, that bolded sentence contradicts itself and it bothers me. I'm probably reading into it too much, but I have some questions about this "call in" procedure.

-Was the solo person supposed to inform someone at the ranch before they left? Who were they to report to? Supervisor or just any employee? How official was this procedure? Does it apply to all employees on and off the clock? Or only to employees that are leaving directly from the ranch and/or traveling on the ranch? Is the procedure followed all the time? Did Ben have a history of going out alone or was this a first time thing? Would he have known about or remembered the procedure? How were employees to "call in" if there wasn't reception? Did I remember reading Ben wouldn't/didn't take his phone because there was no reception?

All good questions. I think all this 'safety' talk is just CYA now that an event
has happened and is unexplainable. Early on there was no talk of this safety
protocol. And you're right, he did not take his cell because of poor coverage.
There was so little info coming from the ranch, very early after him missing,
and it seems they're now trying to fill in the blanks.

Ben was a professional cowboy, manager, long time horseman and seemingly
a responsible person. He was strong, fit and in good shape. It still seems to me there had to be foul play involved. I believed he was ambushed on the the trail.
Just my hunch.

 

[Trudie]

Snipped and BBM- First, that bolded sentence contradicts itself and it bothers me. I'm probably reading into it too much, but I have some questions about this "call in" procedure.

-Was the solo person supposed to inform someone at the ranch before they left? Who were they to report to? Supervisor or just any employee? How official was this procedure? Does it apply to all employees on and off the clock? Or only to employees that are leaving directly from the ranch and/or traveling on the ranch? Is the procedure followed all the time? Did Ben have a history of going out alone or was this a first time thing? Would he have known about or remembered the procedure? How were employees to "call in" if there wasn't reception? Did I remember reading Ben wouldn't/didn't take his phone because there was no reception?

Most farms/ranches I know of do have a rule in place requiring people to report riding solo. It’s a safety net, for sure. IMO, Ben didn’t need to “call”, there’d be ranch hands around to speak with. There’s no weekends on a ranch, every day is the same, animals still need to eat. Ben, being manager would likely advise someone each time he left the ranch, in case someone needed him, imo.
Somewhere I read Ben arrived at NR Thanksgiving weekend. If true, he had very little time to settle in & probably didn’t get the opportunity to meet too many people off the ranch. Jmo.
The last heard of the person that possibly “trailered” Ben is LE still can’t identify or confirm him/her. That seems nefarious. There’d be nothing to hide if someone merely gave Ben & his horse a lift.
I wonder, did Ben even ride his horse or plan to, that day?
Moo

 

[Trudie]

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.

An arrest was made about a week prior to Ben’s disappearance. To my knowledge, little inf was put out here regarding the name of the suspect. Moo

 

[Hippononymous]

Is there a witness of some kind who would have seen a truck and trailer? And does that mean he and his horse were trailered? Or just him without his horse?

 

[Steelslady]

Is there a witness of some kind who would have seen a truck and trailer? And does that mean he and his horse were trailered? Or just him without his horse?

Million dollar question that has no answer. It was said in the beginning that it was thought that someone picked Ben and his horse up and drove him to where they thought he might be riding. They asked for the person who might have driven him and the horse to call LE- so far, no one has called, and it seems that now it might not have been the case at all.

 

[Dog_River]

LE has not verified (that I have heard or read) that Ben was trailered in and dropped off and nobody has come forward and made that statement. It's a theory only at this time.

On my way home from the LML I stopped at Merrit and drove out to the ranch and saw the ruins of the old church. Incredibly sad ordeal for the community and Ben's family and friends. He sure seemed like a stand up guy.

 

[Trudie]

LE has not verified (that I have heard or read) that Ben was trailered in and dropped off and nobody has come forward and made that statement. It's a theory only at this time.

On my way home from the LML I stopped at Merrit and drove out to the ranch and saw the ruins of the old church. Incredibly sad ordeal for the community and Ben's family and friends. He sure seemed like a stand up guy.

The RCMP is asking anyone who may have seen Ben Tyner during the weekend of January 26 and 27 or a truck and trailer that may have transported him to the Swakum Mountain or OK Forest Service Road off Mamit Lake Road, to contact the SED MCU tip line at 1-877-987-8477.

This ^^ is from a previous link.

It seems LE firmly believes he was trailered in based on lack of tracks near NR & the distance from NR the horse was found, imo.
When did Ben actually go missing? What was his condition at that time? Obviously, something is very wrong here.
As ranch manager, I’m sure Ben kept a keen eye on weather forecasts. I personally don’t think he planned a ride nor actually ever rode. It’s not hard to trailer a horse and turn it loose, if one has reason.
Hopefully RCMP has a lot of info that will lead to closure. They operate much differently than stateside LE. Here, we are accustomed to a lot of info as well as frequent updates, on crime/missing person cases.
Moo

 

[jewelsmac]

LE has not verified (that I have heard or read) that Ben was trailered in and dropped off and nobody has come forward and made that statement. It's a theory only at this time.

On my way home from the LML I stopped at Merrit and drove out to the ranch and saw the ruins of the old church. Incredibly sad ordeal for the community and Ben's family and friends. He sure seemed like a stand up guy.

Agreed. I think it’s one of those rumors that just somehow became fact.

 

[zecats]

All good questions. I think all this 'safety' talk is just CYA now that an event
has happened and is unexplainable. Early on there was no talk of this safety
protocol. And you're right, he did not take his cell because of poor coverage.
There was so little info coming from the ranch, very early after him missing,
and it seems they're now trying to fill in the blanks.

Ben was a professional cowboy, manager, long time horseman and seemingly
a responsible person. He was strong, fit and in good shape. It still seems to me there had to be foul play involved. I believed he was ambushed on the the trail.
Just my hunch.

No one at the ranch seemed to know he was even missing until KR found Ben's horse and called it in. 7 hours later KR found out the horse belonged to Ben, who was then realized to be missing. KR Found horse around 5:30am and received notice around 12:30pm.

UPDATE: Ben Tyner confirmed missing by Nicola Ranch - Merritt Herald

 

[zecats]

An arrest was made about a week prior to Ben’s disappearance. To my knowledge, little inf was put out here regarding the name of the suspect. Moo

Name listed in article about arsonist and court. I won't post name, but it's in this article
Alleged arsonist to return to court - Merritt Herald

 

[Trudie]

IMO, once news breaks on this story, it will unfold completely. I also feel once the MCU joined the investigation, there was evidence of criminal activity. Otherwise, why involve them? Of course we understand RCMP not revealing too much.

 

[zecats]

Is there a witness of some kind who would have seen a truck and trailer? And does that mean he and his horse were trailered? Or just him without his horse?

No witnesses have come forward. Only KR who found the horse and stated there were no tracks from Ben's horse leading FROM the ranch. Only backtracking horse (At least front hooves shod) to where it last was with a herd of wild horses. (Not shod) Tracks apparently lost among the many. These statements have been reported in previous MSM articles.