RCMP and the family of Fribjon Bjornson are seeking the public's help to locate the body of the murdered Vanderhoof man.
Bjornson, 28, was reported missing on Jan. 21 and his truck was found near an abandoned property on the Nak'azdli reserve near Fort St. James on Jan. 23. He was last seen alive on the morning of Jan. 12 at the Vanderhoof 7-11 convenience store.
On Feb. 3 investigators from the RCMP North District major crimes unit confirmed human remains found on the property on Lower Road were identified as belonging to Bjornson.
"Remains were located, but the body is still missing," North District RCMP spokesperson Cst. Lesley Smith said. "We do know that there are witnesses that are afraid to come forward. All we want is a location where Fribjon is, so we can bring him back to his family. The family really needs closure."
Smith would not disclose additional details about the nature of the remains found by police. RCMP are following up on a number of leads, she said.
Bjornson was known to be involved in drug use and associated with people living high-risk lifestyles, Smith said. Investigators believe that there may be witnesses with information about the whereabouts of Bjornson's remains who are afraid to come forward to police.
Smith urged anyone with information about the location of Bjornson's remains to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477). Tips can be made anonymously, she said, and a tip which leads to the location of Bjornson's remains could be eligible for a $2,000 reward.
Information can also be reported to Sgt. Randy Bosch of the North District Major Crime Unit at 250-649-3903, or online at www.pgcrimestoppers.bc.ca.
Family plea
In a written statement, Bjornson's mother Eileen Bjornson called on anyone with information to come forward to the police or Crime Stoppers.
"He was a father to two beautiful children... What are we going to tell his children? How will we explain to them what happened to their daddy, when we don’t understand it ourselves," she said. "How could somebody do something so horrible to him, or anyone? Every time we thought it couldn’t get any worse, it has. We need to be able to put our son to rest and give him a proper burial. We will always be looking for him, until he comes home to us. Please help us look."
In her statement, Eileen Bjornson said the family has held a memorial service but would like to be able to spread Bjornson's ashes in a private family service.
"We are pleading to anyone who knows anything to come forward and tell us what they know, no matter how insignificant it may seem," she said. "We are asking people to keep their eyes open for anything suspicious: birds, clothing, something in the lake, etc. Fribjon was a good person, he did not deserve this. Please help us."
