CANADA Canada - Michael Gazetas, 51, film location scout, Victoria, BC, 31 Jan 2020

[dotr]

June 11 2020 rbbm.

• 
  Woman pleading for help finding missing husband

RCMP continue search for Courtenay man last seen in January
''VICTORIA -- The Comox Valley RCMP is renewing its call for public assistance in locating a missing man who was last seen in January.

Mounties are searching for Michael Gazetas, 51, who was last seen leaving his Courtenay home at roughly 8:30 a.m. on Jan. 31.

Shortly after his disappearance, a massive search was launched by police, search and rescue teams and volunteers.''
''At the time, Gazetas’s friend Brent Calkin was working as a search volunteer and told CTV News that it was difficult to pinpoint where Gazetas may have gone as he was a location scout for the film industry and had an intimate knowledge of the island’s backcountry.''

''Gazetas was last seen wearing a black shirt and vest with a red and blue poncho. He was also wearing dark jeans and a green toque. Police believe that he was travelling in a red Ford Ranger with BC licence plate HX4109 when he was last seen.

Anyone with information on Gazetas or his truck is asked to call the Comox Valley RCMP at 250-338-1321 or contact Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477. ''

 

[dotr]

Wife of missing Comox Valley man asks public to keep eyes open in the backcountry - Parksville Qualicum Beach News
''The wife of a Comox Valley man who has been missing since late January is asking the public to continue their search of any signs of Michael Gazetas or his vehicle now that more people are spending time outdoors.''

“(Please keep an eye out) on logging roads or the backcountry where we strongly suspect him to be – call the RCMP for the recovery of my husband. It’s very important to bring him home and to get any answers we can as he left many questions about his disappearance and that we might be able to put him to rest.”

''Gazetas, who Root describes as “pretty much a West Coast boy,” was familiar with the area in which she suspected him to be travelling. She did not suspect anything suspicious about that day, and says he was a good communicator who always kept his cell phone on and was regularly texting or calling.''

“There’s a lot of different places he could be, and now that the snow is melting, the snowpack is receding, maybe people will be in some of those places we couldn’t access before.”

 

[dotr]

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/michael-gazetas-missing-1.5452060
'''A creative, warm bear of a man': Search for missing Courtenay man widens

''Gazetas is a locations manager for the film industry and spends a lot of time travelling in the remote north end of Vancouver Island, Calkin says.

Searchers believe Gazetas is travelling in his bright red Ford Ranger pickup truck with the license plate HX 4109.

They have focused their efforts on trying to find the truck.

"We're considering that if Michael is a needle in a haystack, the little red truck is like a little toy red truck in the haystack and much easier to find," Calkin said.

Victoria News

 

[dotr]

Mar. 3, 2020
Volunteers comb through thousands of photos in search for missing Vancouver Island man - Surrey Now-Leader
''The search yielded little information, beyond the odd clue such as a service vehicle that seemed to be on the same stretch of road around the same time Gazetas was presumed to be driving.''

''There were ground crews looking for some sign. In addition, there were aerial searches, and what they have now is a massive collection of high-resolution photographs taken from helicopters.''

In all, Pretula said there are thousands of images to go through to look for clues such as the red truck.

“We’ve been scouring the imagery for red items … but we didn’t exclude any other objects,” he said.

This could include anything from a cabin to a container – anything that might be a sign – though Gazetas’s Ford Ranger has been the focal point.

“Everything right now is still about that truck,” he added.''

''As of late February, they had almost 240 people volunteering their time to go through the images. The intention was to have at least two sets of eyes to look through every folder. Their first helicopter flight alone generated about 12,000 images.

“We’re going to have viewed just about 65,000 images when we’re finished,” he said. “It’s a lot of imagery, and we’ve parsed it out as best we can to people…. It’s a lot of data to go through.”

 

[dulcinea]

Sounds like he had a fascinating job! Since his truck cannot be located, I am wondering if he had an accident while out scouting and is hidden in the trees or if he drove off the road. It sounds like he visited remote locations. What is the terrain like? Does anyone know what kind of film location he needed to scout for? That might help narrow down where he might be.

 

[dotr]

Sounds like he had a fascinating job! Since his truck cannot be located, I am wondering if he had an accident while out scouting and is hidden in the trees or if he drove off the road. It sounds like he visited remote locations. What is the terrain like? Does anyone know what kind of film location he needed to scout for? That might help narrow down where he might be.

It seems that going into nature was his hobby too, just noticed that there was heavy rainfall the day he went missing.
Still, strange that with all the people looking for him every which way possible, that there is still no clues! imo. rbbm.
Exhaustive search turns up no trace of missing Courtenay man
''The official operation was on top of an eight-day search by family and friends across Vancouver Island, who scoured surveillance and traffic cameras, handed out flyers and talked to people.''

“He is a resourceful guy who would have lit a signal fire, or something. This is obviously not the outcome we wanted and one that is hard to accept.

“This is a group of loyal friends who have worked tirelessly in the last week. We are film people and I think we all feel that if we mobilize and work hard, we can produce results, but all avenues have been exhausted and we are exhausted.''

''Gazetas was last seen leaving his house during a heavy rainfall in his red Ford Ranger pickup truck with the licence plate HX 4109.''

 

[TatianaBarbie]

Michael's Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/michael.gazetas

His last post was the day before he was last seen. All posts since Jan 30, 2020 have been about Michael being missing, posted by other people.

 

[dotr]

June 30 2020 rbbm.
Search continues for Courtenay man missing since January 2020
''Authorities are still searching for 51-year-old Michael Gazetas who went missing several months ago.

''Gazetas was last seen leaving his Courtenay residence on January 31, 2020, and is believed to have been travelling in his red Ford Ranger, BC license plate HX4109.

Search and rescue teams, accompanied by his friends who launched a fundraiser and hired a helicopter to try and find him, scoured areas of interest in and around Comox Valley and the Buttle Lake area of Strathcona park, and along the coast from the Nanaimo ferry terminal to Courtenay.

Neither Gazetas, nor his truck have since been found.''
Michael liked the outdoors and may have taken a drive down one of the forest service roads on Vancouver Island.”

Investigators do not believe that Gazetas left the island''.


''Anyone who sees Guzetas or his truck, or knows where he is should contact Comox Valley RCMP at (250) 338-1321.


If you wish to remain anonymous, contact Comox Valley Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or online at comoxvalleycrimestoppers.bc.ca.''

 

[dotr]

''A map highlighting some of the people on Vancouver Island where people have been reported missing within the last four decades. For more information on each person, scroll down below to use the interactive map.''

July 12 2020 by Erin Haluschak rbbm.
‘Someone knows something’: a look into Vancouver Island missing persons with interactive map - Victoria News
''With summer temperatures and increasing snow melt, Michelle Root hopes those factors – and people spending more time outdoors – will assist in finding any clues to help find her husband Michael Gazetas, who went missing from the Comox Valley in January 2020.

Six months after Gazetas’ disappearance, Root asked again for assistance from the public to keep an eye out for her husband on logging roads or the backcountry for his recovery.

“It’s very important to bring him home and to get any answers we can as he left many questions about his disappearance and that we might be able to put him to rest,” she explained in June.

Gazetas, 51, was last seen Jan. 31 leaving his residence in Courtenay. Extensive searches by ground search and rescue teams, family, friends and police have been conducted but have not turned up any evidence of his whereabouts.

RCMP noted the detachment has received a lot of tips from the public, and do not have any evidence to believe he has left Vancouver Island.


One unusual tip to come forward which was passed along to searchers was from Tammy Lee, a ‘seer’ from the North Island who is able to have information and visions come to her. In the case of Gazetas, she actively sought them out.

“I was hoping (to get) some information from him … I’ve asked him to show me where he is but I only get (lines) crisscrossed. I figured it was a map, but I couldn’t understand where and I can’t see it clearly. Now I just get a feeling he is there but won’t talk.”

Additional specific geographical information and details about his red Ford Ranger pickup came to Lee, which was also passed along to search and rescue.''

 

[dotr]

RCMP in British Columbia - Missing man from the Comox Valley
''File # 2020-1779

The Comox Valley RCMP is requesting the assistance from the public to locate a 51-year old Courtenay man reported missing on January 31, 2020.

Michael Gazetas was last seen at approximately 8:30 a.m. on January 31, 2020 leaving his residence in Courtenay. He was wearing a red and blue poncho over a black shirt and vest with dark coloured jeans and a green toque.

Michael is believed to be travelling in his red Ford Ranger, BC Licence plate: HX4109.''

If you see Michael Gazetas, or know where he is, please call the Comox Valley RCMP at (250) 338-1321. If you wish to remain anonymous, contact Comox Valley Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or online at comoxvalleycrimestoppers.bc.ca.

 

[Innana]

Don’t know if this article has been shared. Doesn’t look like it : ‘Nothing left to search’: the mystery of Michael Gazetas - Parksville Qualicum Beach News

Article talked about a fall he had in 2017 where he broke his pelvis and issues with WCB. I’ll snip the important parts :

“While working on a streaming series, Gazetas fell 15 feet and broke his pelvis in half.

He was rushed to Royal Columbian Hospital in New Westminster where he had multiple pins put in and subsequently spent 11 months on crutches alongside a full year of intensive rehab.”

“While in the Valley, Gazetas was working with a caseworker from WorkSafeBC on a proposal and was looking at other options for his career, including teaching in various film programs.

Due to a conflict of interest, the caseworker had to transfer his case to a co-worker in Vancouver, and Gazetas’s proposal was later denied. They asked for an internal appeal, which was eventually turned down.

Root says he was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder from the accident and he was struggling with the decision from the organization that told him he was expected to return to work.

“He was told he had to go back to the job that almost killed him … he didn’t get any (mental health) support or psychological counselling. People aren’t getting the help they need.”

 

[dotr]

Michael posthumously nominated for an award for his location work..
Oct 24 2020 rbbm.
'Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,' 'Last Black Man' Win Location Awards - Variety
''See: Season 1 – Apple TV+, Trevor Brokop, Nick Bergstedt, Michael Gazetas /LMGI (posthumous)''

 

[bombardier]

No new info since 2020... based on that nomination, I'm guessing family has consented to him being considered 'deceased'. They probably know details here we don't.