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

[enelram]

There are some cabins in the backcountry according to Kim
Robinson, the tracker and hunting guide. Some old mines too.
IMO, they lost some valuable time and clues when they didn't
have good trackers get on the trail of where his horse came from.
If his brother found the broken rein, that was another clue.
I know it's easy to arm chair quarterback this search, but
I also question why there is "no trace" of him according to
RCMP.
A good tracker would have been able to distinguish BT's
horse hoofprints from the feral horses, IMO. Shod vs. unshod.
If his horse was shod, it'd be much easier to track unless the
Search and Rescue people are not experienced wildlife
trackers. Besides they were looking for a single horse tracks
not the groups of ferals which would leave multiple tracks
in the same area. A good tracker would know this.
Now that they're asking for volunteers this tells me that many
from the S and R groups need to get back to work at home and
back to their regular lives. Or maybe they just need a rest
break. It's hard work in the weather and terrain.
I wish we could get more real input from someone there
working on the search.

 

[watcher9]

I was so hoping he would have been found last night.

 

[enelram]

Very active FB group "Missing Ben Tyner"- BT's cousin states

"Ben's dog Sue was not with him when he went missing and that is
very unusual. He takes her everywhere."

 

[Steelslady]

I don't like this one bit. I am really worried that something bad happened to this man at the hands of another. Seeing that they haven't found anything of his- a shoe, hat, glove, something personal, makes me think that not only is he not alive, but that someone has harmed him and he won't be easy to find.

So sad about his poor dog. I say put a recent article of clothing near her nose and see if she can help find her owner. Never know, she might miss him so much, she might track his scent.

 

[ttcRider]

My understanding.. They were looking for him before they even found the horse? KR found his horse at 5:30am. Was KR just riding around the area and just happened upon the horse? He was on his days off so I wonder why they were out looking for him. Am I getting this wrong?

 

[Gumbeaux]

Wow, this is a highly unusual disappearance. For what it’s worth, he is one well-traveled cowboy. Apparently was even working in Russia, per his FB account. He job hopped a good bit, but that is likely normal if you are trying to establish skills and history as a ranch manager. Clearly he had exposure to wide varieties of folks, and had been on the news two weeks’ prior discussing a church burning. I have no clear directions on hunches, but lots of fodder.

I’ve worked with horses, and this case is beginning to smell like a sun warmed pile of droppings.

 

[jellybean96]

Very active FB group "Missing Ben Tyner"- BT's cousin states

"Ben's dog Sue was not with him when he went missing and that is
very unusual. He takes her everywhere."

This is not good. I am officially on the side of someone else made Ben go missing.

 

[enelram]

My understanding.. They were looking for him before they even found the horse? KR found his horse at 5:30am. Was KR just riding around the area and just happened upon the horse? He was on his days off so I wonder why they were out looking for him. Am I getting this wrong?

No they didn't know he was missing until his horse was found- then the horse wasn't identified right away- 12:30 pm Monday, before
they realized he was missing.

 

[Concernedmamaof3]

No they didn't know he was missing until his horse was found- then the horse wasn't identified right away- 12:30 pm Monday, before
they realized he was missing.

That is a bit strange to me. Wouldn't someone on the ranch wonder where he was? My understanding of ranch life is very early starts. MOO

 

[jellybean96]

That is a bit strange to me. Wouldn't someone on the ranch wonder where he was? My understanding of ranch life is very early starts. MOO

The only thing I could think of to justify this is if since he was on his days off, the Ranch didn't expect to see him, and therefore weren't missing him.

 

[Gracie55]

He ride a mare or gelding? Mare in heat might attract unwanted feral stallion attention.

 

[Portabella]

I would think he would carry a firearm as well as possibly some bear spray, that is just my opinion since that is Grizzly country. Alaskan bears hibernated late this year and they have excellent food sources to fatten up. Not sure if by the ranch Grizzly's have great food sources and they can and will come out if they are hungry. Just from the area/terrain I could imagine a good amount of Mountain lion too. I still have hope for this man for some reason, and I am usually the type that loses hope quickly. He seems so seasoned and would be prepared and at least have basic survival skills. It does bother me that his dog Sue was not with him. And the church burnings and missing cattle niggles in the back of my mind. I so wish he would crawl out if need be, but he may be held up in a cave, if he has a firearm he could last the winter in there. Between hunting and deadfall traps, he could make it. I am so hoping I am right and he is still alive and will return from this. IMHO

 

[Concernedmamaof3]

I don't know much about drones. Do they have tracking devices on them so that if they are downed you could find them? If he did have a drone and this is a possibility, it might give a better idea of location to search. MOO

 

[enelram]

I don't know much about drones. Do they have tracking devices on them so that if they are downed you could find them? If he did have a drone and this is a possibility, it might give a better idea of location to search. MOO

I haven't see anything official that states he had a drone. I think that's a rumor that took off.
Confirmed by a Searcher: He did NOT have a cell phone on him.
It's been reported that his horse was shod on all 4 but when found
was missing a shoe.
MOO, grizzlies and mountain lions are living in those woods.
Another concern of mine- He was a manager so he must have
supervised others on the job. I wonder if LE have interviewed
those people he supervised. Disgruntled employee could have
followed him out on the trail, harmed him and then went
back to ranch.
PS/ It's snowing again in Merritt right now.

 

[MsFacetious]

Does the church burning or missing cattle offer any kind of motive here?

 

[kiwijayne]

OK here's some new info=
Terry Strada spokesperson (for ranch ?) said Ben was last
seen on Saturday.
"His truck and trailer are in his driveway."
Sounds like he had his own private home on ranch, as is common for the managers.
Now, if he had his own truck and trailer there, why would he
hitch a ride with someone else? He wouldn't, IMO, he would
have hitched up his trailer and driven himself and his horse
out to his drop off point. then at the end of the ride, gone
back to his truck/trailer, loaded up and driven home.

the theory of someone taking him out backcountry is bunk unless they know
someone else from the ranch was missing on Sunday along w/ truck and trailer..
Just because they found no tracks and have no idea where
to track and search, doesn't explain this reasoning.

I still think Kim Robinson was their best hope of finding
him because I'm not seeing the logic of their search plan
or their explanation of how he got to backcountry.
I guess the responsibility would be on RCMP as lead LE.

Unless he went into the back country with someone else and they returned without him.

It may have been someone from another ranch.

 

[ttcRider]

Does the church burning or missing cattle offer any kind of motive here?

I was trying to find some sort of connection but cant.. the man charged with arson has a criminal record but can't for the life of me find any connection to missing cattle or ranching in general. IMO

 

[MsFacetious]

So there really wouldn't be any motive for someone to hurt Ben? This is just so weird... what would cause him to leave his dog at home? Maybe that's the place to start. Where would he NOT take his dog?

 

[kritafo]

Search for missing Merritt cowboy suspended after 7 days amid frigid conditions

Search has been suspended.

 

[ttcRider]

JMO but if I took my dog everywhere I went all the time then the only time I wouldnt take her would be if I knew I wasnt coming back.