Found Deceased Canada - Jake Kermond, 19, Whistler, BC, 26 April 2015

[zwiebel]

Harrietville, Australian 19-Year-old Jake Kermond has gone missing while on a ski vacation in Canada.

Jake was last seen in the lobby of his hotel April 26 and was reported missing by staff four days later when his room appeared to have been abandoned. He was wearing a green baggy ski jacket, a black and white baseball cap and possibly black pants.

Foul play is not suspected, police say.

In a statement, Whistler RCMP said they had conducted "an extensive investigation into the matter, however all efforts to locate Mr Kermond have been unsuccessful".

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-05-...ermond-missing-at-canadian-ski-resort/6451480

 

[zwiebel]

It's worth noting the article says Jake had already been out skiing the last evening he was seen, and later came back to the hotel and was seen in the lobby.

So this was at night? Was he going out for the evening somewhere, or had he already been out?

Could a Canadian poster maybe tell us if this is the sort of place where it's easy to get lost and maybe take a fall, after a night out?

 

[LoyalSleuth]

The Whistler area as a hole is remote but a village, so a village in the wilderness.

 

[Mel 1303]

Jake's facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/jake.kermond

 

[LookingForClues]

The local newspaper in Whistler has an updated article that adds some more details:

http://www.piquenewsmagazine.com/whistler/whistler-police-asking-public-for-help-in-locating-missing-man/Content?oid=2646807

He told hotel staff at the time that he had lost his wallet on the mountain and was "short on funds," said Staff Sgt. Steve LeClair.

Police suspect Kermond may have been trying to sell his skis.

As LoyalSleuth mentioned, Whistler is a resort village in a very remote area. If he went bar-hopping, even though everything is connected in a pedestrian-only layout, it would be easy to wander off and get lost. There have been instances of residents and guests dying of hypothermia. A couple years ago, a Whistler resort employee fell into a creek on his way home from a St. Patrick's Day gathering and died of hypothermia. A few days before this incident, the body of a local DJ was found after he had been missing since mid-January. The night he died, it was -20 degrees C, he also had been out drinking with friends, and the assumption is he was walking home and never made it (coroner said he had a toxic level of cocaine in his system, plus alcohol, plus the frigid weather also contributed). So, there's a very real chance that something like this could have happened to Jake. Even though he disappeared at the end of April, it still was somewhere around freezing at night. Right now, the night lows are about 4 degrees C (40 degrees F).

If it's true that Jake wanted to try and sell his skis, he would have most likely headed to where he'd find skiers and snowboarders hanging out, which means bars, restaurants and clubs. The article I linked to says police have asked for surveillance video after receiving info on several possible sightings.

What's interesting is the article says he stayed in a hostel for about a month before switching to the hotel. There a quite a few hostels in Whistler, and I don't know which one he stayed at, but only one is near the lifts, the rest require driving (bus, car) or walking quite a distance. If he planned to go back to the hostel to talk to someone he thought would buy his skis, and if he walked, then maybe he got lost. Let's hope the police have some luck with the surveillance video.

 

[Satchie]

In an Australian article, the family asks people not to become alarmed, believing he has gone off the grid and is having further adventures.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victorian-skier-reported-missing-in-canada-last-seen-in-whistler-hotel/story-fnstek7z-1227341572753

Another article quotes police as saying he must have returned to his hotel room after last being seen, because he was wearing his ski boots, but they were found in his room. http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/jake-kermond-australian-teen-reported-missing-in-whistler-1.3062469

A possible scenario is he ran out of money and skipped town to avoid paying the hotel. He's only 19 and might do something like that.

 

[tarabull]

In an Australian article, the family asks people not to become alarmed, believing he has gone off the grid and is having further adventures.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victorian-skier-reported-missing-in-canada-last-seen-in-whistler-hotel/story-fnstek7z-1227341572753

Another article quotes police as saying he must have returned to his hotel room after last being seen, because he was wearing his ski boots, but they were found in his room. http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/jake-kermond-australian-teen-reported-missing-in-whistler-1.3062469

A possible scenario is he ran out of money and skipped town to avoid paying the hotel. He's only 19 and might do something like that.

Snipped...

..."It looks like his belongings had been left there. His ski boots are there, his skis are not there ...We suspect that he was short of funds," LeClair said.

"One of the suspicions was that maybe he was attempting to sell his skis. But we don't suspect any foul play at this point."

 

[tarabull]

Whistler police asking public for help in locating missing man

...He told hotel staff at the time that he had lost his wallet on the mountain and was "short on funds," said Staff Sgt. Steve LeClair.

"That was the last time anybody saw him."

...Mounties are now following up on several possible sightings of Kermond that were reported and are requesting surveillance footage from local businesses.

Read more: http://www.piquenewsmagazine.com/wh...p-in-locating-missing-man/Content?oid=2646807

 

[LookingForClues]

Just cherry-picking another detail from this article:

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victorian-skier-reported-missing-in-canada-last-seen-in-whistler-hotel/story-fnstek7z-1227341572753

Jake’s stepdad Kevin Raymond told the Herald Sun the teen had left some belongings in the hotel but had taken his backpack and some clothes.

So from the various articles we've found, we know that he took his skis, his backpack and some clothes, but he left his ski boots. Most people wouldn't leave their ski boots behind, they are expensive to replace. You can't ski without your ski boots, and since he's short on funds, I don't think he's planning to rent boots or buy new ones. Yet, Whistler's ski season is not over yet (ends June 7), and if he's there skiing, or maybe plans to go to Mt. Hood in Oregon (the only other ski area open now), he'll need boots. I suppose he could borrow some boots, but most experienced skiers don't do that because they wear custom-fit boots (in fact, most experienced skiers don't rent boots either, unless they absolutely have to, because a bad fit = very sore feet). I realize he's 19, and maybe he doesn't care about his boots fitting properly, but the teens and young adults I know who would go on an extended ski trip like this love their boots as much as their skis. All that said, I'm suspecting that if he skipped town he has no plans to ski again before the season ends.

If he heads to the U.S., as his family mentions he might, then he'll need to use his passport, so at least he can be tracked that way. I would imagine officials are already checking on that now that his parents have said he might have left Canada.

I wonder if he has a cell phone so they can track him that way? Has he used it recently? I also wonder if there's been any activity on his Facebook page. The last thing he did viewable to the public was changing his profile photo in the beginning of March. I would think his family has contacted his friends to see if they've heard from him. I know that's the first thing I would do if my son disappeared, especially since he's in a foreign country.

If they don't find evidence of him leaving Canada, and don't find evidence of him using his phone or social media, I would be concerned that something happened to him that night he left the hotel. If he was planning to leave town, surely he would have wanted to hook up with some friends to say goodbye and share a few drinks.

 

[Sillybilly]

Anyone know what hotel was he staying at?

 

[Sillybilly]

Could a Canadian poster maybe tell us if this is the sort of place where it's easy to get lost and maybe take a fall, after a night out?

<rsbm>

Jan 2012, DJ Michael Grefner disappeared in Whistler Village and was found deceased in March 2012 .. near a secondary school in the village. Mind you, snow covering a body would likely have been an issue in that case, but as much as there is still skiing on the mountains, I doubt there is any snow in the village itself.

Reason I ask about the hotel .. Michael Grefner had just left a nightclub and had "lost his wallet"; he had also been staying at a hotel at some point. I'll have to read back through his thread to refresh my memory.

Michael Grefner thread for those interested:
http://www.websleuths.com/forums/sh...an-2012&p=7533523&highlight=hotel#post7533523

ETA: Link to the Whistler Village cam ... no snow:
http://www.whistlerblackcomb.com/the-mountain/web-cams/village.aspx

 

[LookingForClues]

:bump:

I'm surprised there hasn't been any new media coverage to speak of. I did find this article posted on the 7th, it has some info the other articles already posted did not. Just seems strange to see nothing since last week. At the time this article was written, his family had not heard from him in two weeks. All the articles still say police do not suspect foul play, but all the articles were written last week so who knows whether that opinion has changed.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-05-08/family-of-missing-victorian-man-jake-kermond-hopeful/6454390

RCMP staff sergeant Steve LeClair said Mr Kermond left most of his belongings behind, but his passport was gone.

His mother, Natalie Raymond, said she did know why her son was uncontactable, but said she remained hopeful he would be found safe.

She said Australia's foreign affairs department had been in regular contact since Mr Kermond was reported missing and advised the family not to fly over there "in panic".

More at link...

In addition to that article, I found yet another posted on the 7th with a few more tidbits that I would think would cause his family some concern:

http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/melbourne-teen-jake-kermond-missing-for-10-days-in-canada-20150507-ggw0ny.html

The teen's financial accounts are being monitored, but no activity has been recorded since his disappearance.

Canadian police have been unable to trace Mr Kermond's mobile phone, and he has not been active on social media.

 

[LookingForClues]

Anyone know what hotel was he staying at?

I've not found any reference to the name of the hotel where Jake was staying.

 

[Satchie]

You mentioned the Mike Grefner case: the coroner later determined that he had toxic levels of cocaine in his system, as well as going out on an extremely cold night.

Whistler is a party town, there might have been some involvement in that scene. I don't know any 19 year-olds who can afford to stay in a hotel instead of a hostel or staff accomm.

 

[LookingForClues]

Whistler is a party town, there might have been some involvement in that scene. I don't know any 19 year-olds who can afford to stay in a hotel instead of a hostel or staff accomm.

RSBM

Whistler is very expensive. Since he was there on an extended trip, it makes sense that he stayed in a hostel so his vacation would be affordable. I wonder why he switched from the hostel to the hotel? At first, I thought maybe his parents said they'd like to give him the gift of covering a short hotel stay before he left Canada, but it doesn't sound like that's the case at all.

I suppose it's possible that he skipped out on paying his bill, but I do think there's the possibility that something else happened. As you said, Whistler is a party town, and it's not a stretch to think something happened to him after a night of partying. If he was still around hanging with friends, I would think they'd have found him by now. Even though the resort is open for skiing, the town is pretty "dead" right now because it's between seasons. Only the diehard skiers and snowboarders are around now. Most have called it quits for the season, and summer activities haven't ramped up yet. If he hadn't left his ski boots behind, I'd suggest that he might be on a backcountry ski tour with friends, but it would be pretty crazy (painful) to do a touring trip wearing someone else's boots.

I guess we'll just have to wait and see if the media follows up on this story. At the moment, his family isn't really acting concerned and asking for help.

 

[tarabull]

There have been two separate stabbings at Whistler in the past week or so, one person died as a result. A few people have been arrested.

Needless to say, I have been thinking about Jake.

Where are you?!

 

[tarabull]

Plenty to read:

http://www.google.ca/search?q=whist...&hl=en&client=safari#q=whistler&hl=en&tbm=nws

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/briti...second-stabbing-on-may-long-weekend-1.3078073

 

[tarabull]

Whistler Blackcomb resort bans smoking, including marijuana, everywhere on its property

Effective May 30th...This includes lift lines, chairlifts, gondolas, ski runs, hiking trails, valley base areas, parking lots, bike trails and all bar and restaurant locations, including patios.

http://www.vancouversun.com/Whistle...juana+everywhere+property/11059163/story.html

 

[tarabull]

GoPro Video of Jake Kermond skiing in Canada...

[video]https://youtu.be/_WtHXQnfT1A[/video]

 

[tarabull]

Jake's facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/jake.kermond

Just an observation, Jake is a member of 'Whistler Party Animals' fb page...

https://www.facebook.com/groups/Whistlerpartyanimals/?pnref=lhc

FWIW, I noticed April 26 was Legendary Local's night at Longhorn Saloon as well as Local's night at MoeJoe's.

Also, May 6 Jake's 'buddy' (fellow Aussie) posted on the WPA page asking everyone to keep an eye out for Jake. YET, I see nothing on his bud's FB age about Jake being missing.
______________________________________

Where you at Mate???