Found Deceased Canada - Owen Rooney, 24, Grand Forks, BC, 14 Aug 2010

[Hazel]

I wondered if maybe he took off because the bill from the hospital could be big... especially if he didn't have some kind of insurance. Couple that with all of the stress and I think it's quite conceivable that he took off.

That is something I had been thinking since the beginning bodhi; reason why I constantly keep asking if he had some kind of travel insurance, that included medical expenses. In the case he didn't have insurance, would the hospital have asked him if he had a family member living in Canada? It is my understanding a hospital cannot refuse to give medical attention to someone who comes in the ER, right?
Would it be possible that he took off as soon as he felt better, and after the pain meds wore off, he got an unbearable headache? Was already dark and he was lost in the woods? IDK, but I think we need to think outside the box.

I just cannot get my head around thinking that Owen called his ex-girlfriend that many times, and not once he tried to contact neither of his 3 siblings :dunno: From the FE documentary, this was the very first time Owen had been by himself. His sister said he had always traveled with at least one of them (brother or sisters), so why not call them instead of keep calling Dawn?

 

[Hazel]

Awww! Saw this tip on FB, the person sounded so sure it was him; guess it wasn't Owen

Search on for Rooney

Local RCMP Const. Chris Manseau says the local detachment received a tip March 21, following the airing of Rooney's story on the Fifth Estate on March 11.

A caller said Rooney was spotted in the 100 Mile House area around about two weeks earlier.

Noting all known witnesses were spoken to and it is believed it was a case of mistaken identity, Manseau says the investigation is still ongoing

more : http://www.bclocalnews.com/bc_cariboo/100milefreepress/news/118462404.html

 

[Hazel]

It's interesting the RCMP in media releases say she's not involved - would they be likely to say that if she was? I certainly haven't heard the media make any statements that the men at 55 who bashed Owen up weren't involved in Owen's disappearance. I guess I'm brainstorming here. I wish the RCMP would say more.

What I do not understand is why the RCMP can't just subpoena the phone records and content of the sms's. Is that to do with Canadian law? I know it's easy as pie to get it done in Australia. Can anyone explain the problem to me? In Australia if someone couldn't remember sms's, and let's face it, some kids send hundreds of emails daily, so I don't know if this was the case with the ex/ex-gf or not, but I would not be in the least bit surprised, as it seems the norm these days. I think in that context it would make sense not to remember it, and also a lot of the kids around Kelowna and Canada and all those places seem to be doing a lot of partying ... drinking, drugs, etc.. so I guess how well someone remembers sms's they receive is a function of how many sms's they get, whether there was anything noteworthy or out of the ordinary in them at the time, who sends them to you as to whether you'd even be inspired to remember their content, and whether the person was drunk or sober, on drugs or not. Again, just another loose end with so many questions, but I think it's useful to try and put ourselves in other's situations.

respectfully snipped by me

Good points Karina! I do not know the answer to your questions, but the impression I got when I read that the RCMP had interviewed Dawn, was that she handed over her cellphone to the authorities and probably agreed for them to get all her phone records. My impression was that LE know the full content of their sms's, and that is why they concluded that she was not involved in Owen's disappearance. This is all just my opinion, but if she had refused to cooperate by not allowing LE to have access to those last text messages, then I don't think the RCMP would say that she is not involved. JMHO. Also, IMO, it would be in her own interest to do this, because that will proof she was in Alberta at the time when those sms's were exchanged; again this is all JMO for what it's worth. ​

 

[Hazel]

Been looking around the Sh.Festiv. site, just to get the feeling of the area. They have a map there as well as other links. followed one, and found this pics:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=288811&id=9633698820&l=59bdd80d67

...and the hairdo description reminded me of an old video clip (starts at marker 01:09)... not saying could be the same girl though... Will keep looking around the site, hoping to get any ideas or perhaps see Owen's picture somewhere. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdvP5_3KTsE&feature=player_embedded

 

[Hazel]

BIG apologies for so many posts in a row!!! :innocent:

Shambhala Festiv. site : http://www.shambhalamusicfestival.com/

Shambhala Festiv. MAP : http://goo.gl/maps/MtDM


MAP showing ALL locations : http://goo.gl/maps/qxiW

Distance and Approx. driving time according to Google maps:

06.5 km – about 06 mins – Shambhala Festival to Salmo

41.2 km – about 33 mins – Salmo to Nelson

43.8 km – about 40 mins – Nelson to Castlegar

70.2 km – about 1 hour 21 mins – Castlegar to Christina Lake

32.3 km – about 31 mins – Christina Lake to Grand Forks

 

[imnotfussy]

A possible answer to Hazel's question is that if Owen finally broke away from his siblings to establish some sort of independence, he may well not have wanted to tell his siblings that he had gotten himself into so much trouble. I wonder what would happen if he had contacted his sisters? What do you think Owen would have thought his sisters would do? I imagine that they would have come running and then wouldn't have wanted to leave his side, therefore his time of independence would have come to an end. Only Owen knows the answer to this question, but this is just one possible explanation to your question above.

 

[Hazel]

That could very well be the reason imnotfussy :welcome: to the forum

 

[dotr]

I am not saying this is the situation in OR`s case, but I have known of people who disconnected with family because they `discovered`they were gay and wanted to hide that lifestyle from others.
I wonder if any posters of Owen were put up in any gay communities and clubs.Also,sex trafficking is not limited to young females...

 

[dotr]

http://www.straight.com/article-111630/ex-hustler-hopes-to-help-men-in-sex-trade
It's kind of hard for some people to wrap around their head that a straight male is going to participate in those kinds of acts," Presland says. "In reality, when you're driven by survival and you're hungry or you're drug-addicted, you're going to do whatever you need to do, whether that be rob a bank or go out and prostitute yourself. Everybody's got their avenue they go down."

Under the Radar also found that men experience the same levels of exploitation and abuse as women. Because we don't publicly acknowledge prostitution as a male issue, though, their stories are rarely, if ever, heard.

 

[Sillybilly]

... Also,sex trafficking is not limited to young females...

Although it's not necessarily my foremost theory, that thought has certainly crossed my mind in Owen's case dotr. Lots of young men missing from the Lower Mainland of BC, and yes ... where there is a demand for anything/anyone in the black market, there is someone who will ensure there is a supply (why does my mind always wander to organized crime?).

 

[Sillybilly]

Bump for Owen !!

 

[Hazel]

CHBC News, Kelowna: Monday, April 4, 2011 12:32 PM

I don't know where to put this; there are so many missing people in BC. LE is saying the bones seem to be old; they still need to determine how long have they have been there.


News article: http://www.chbcnews.ca/Bones+uncovered+North+Okanagan/4555658/story.html

VIDEO : http://www.chbcnews.ca/video/index.html?releasePID=lZfrMeHn4Xekx0MOGuc_wJczFzg_fHxI

 

[Sillybilly]

Seems the bones are part of a First Nations burial ground:

Old cemetery uncovered in Vernon, B.C.
Bones, skull found in Vernon orchard now under study ...

Investigators have determined human remains found in a Vernon, B.C. orchard came from an old First Nations burial site.

from:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2011/04/09/bc-vernon-orchard-bones.html

 

[pharmchick]

Possible sighting, but seems to have led nowhere, and may be a case of mistaken identity.

http://www.bclocalnews.com/bc_cariboo/100milefreepress/news/118462404.html

Every day I check to see if there's any new news on Owen, and there's been so little lately....

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Missing Person- Owen Rooney (Facebook) - http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=144227432275360


Missing Aussie 'may not know who he is'

The family of Australian Owen Rooney, missing in Canada for almost seven months, has spent a long freezing winter roaming through small Canadian towns handing out missing person leaflets and chasing possible sightings.

The Rooney family, which includes Owen's parents and three siblings, is clinging to the hope the young traveller is still alive and may not know who he is.

More: http://news.ninemsn.com.au/world/8221333/missing-aussie-may-not-know-who-he-is

 

[Hazel]

Possible sighting, but seems to have led nowhere, and may be a case of mistaken identity.

http://www.bclocalnews.com/bc_cariboo/100milefreepress/news/118462404.html

Every day I check to see if there's any new news on Owen, and there's been so little lately....

Sadly, it was indeed a case of mistaken identity. As posted above ( # 238 ), the tip was originally posted on Owen's FB group, and everyone was so hopeful it was him, since the person was so sure it was Owen.

Haven't visited Owen's FB page lately, and am wondering if there are ground searches being organized. IMO, this would be a good time for that before summer time, just in case.

(According to that article, Owen had worked two winters at that resort.)

Hoping Owen is found soon safe and well.

 

[dotr]

Bumping for Owen and hoping his family is keeping strong - hoping also, that the warmer weather (that is, when it finally arrives) makes the search easier and fruitful.

 

[dotr]

http://boundarysentinel.com/news/crime/police-film-crews-cause-rumours-about-missing-man-11088
“We had a lot of activity on the Rooney file last week because there was a news crew from 60 Minutes Australia in - they were filming a show on that. They were here from Australia so we were up in the helicopter and the family was back in town.

 

[summer_breeze]

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2011/05/01/bc-rooney-parents-leaving.html

CBC News Posted: May 1, 2011 7:16 PM PT
Last Updated: May 1, 2011 8:22 PM PT

The parents of an Australian man missing in B.C. have gone home after eight months of searching — without any answers.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Rooney parents head home

The parents of an Australian man missing in B.C. have gone home after eight months of searching — without any answers.

Owen Rooney was beaten in Christina Lake last August and went to hospital in Grand Forks. He walked out of the hospital without his backpack and hasn't been seen since.

[snip]

Owen Rooney's two sisters remain in Canada to continue the search.

More: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2011/05/01/bc-rooney-parents-leaving.html