For the third time authorities have gone looking for a local elder since he went missing last fall, but it was the first time when the terrain was free of snow.
Dietmar Josef Faeth, 74, has been unaccounted for since October. The avid outdoorsman went to a location familiar to him, a spot off of Upper Fraser Forest Service Road near Sinclair Mills, but did not return as scheduled.
Once it was realized that Faeth was off pattern, Prince George RCMP and Prince George Search and Rescue (SAR) were called in to look over his last known location. His distinctive orange Dodge camper van was located quickly, but no other sign of him has ever been found.
Two searches were done in November to no avail, and on Saturday, SAR and RCMP went back again.
"Nothing was found that we can directly relate to him," said Prince George RCMP spokesman Cpl. Craig Douglass. "This was an important search for us because there was snowfall already by the time he was noticed missing, so the searchers, including a dog unit, had to contend with that and other hindrances."
Faeth had a plane ticket booked for a warmer climate, but that ticket went unclaimed. He was due to fly out on Nov. 10 but was reported missing two days earlier.
He was accustomed to living a solo life on prolonged trips into the backcountry.
"He has friends checking with us," said Douglass. "The ones who reported him missing were very concerned at the time and are still concerned now."
If you have any information about the disappearance of Dietmar Josef Faeth, please contact Const. Pescolla at the Prince George RCMP at 250-561-3300 or anonymously call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) / www.pgcrimestoppers.bc.ca.
