The search for a missing Quebec man whose rented motorhome was discovered in a parking lot at China Beach has been called off and police said Monday there are no new leads.
Vickie Weber of Juan de Fuca Search and Rescue said efforts to locate 70-year-old Jean-Michel Cabanes were unsuccessful over the weekend.
The motorhome rented by Cabanes was found Friday at China Beach, west of Jordan River, one of the starting points of the rugged Juan de Fuca Marine Trail.
“We did not locate him [after] another very hard day for the search crews,” Weber said in an email. “We are very disappointed that we could not locate him and help to bring closure to his family.”
Saanich police said Monday there have been no developments in the case. They believe the motorhome was at China Beach at least a week before it was discovered.
Cabanes was last seen on Oct. 14 in Saanich. The Montreal man was reported missing by family after he failed to return the rented motorhome on Oct. 26 and did not board his flight home Oct. 28.
Crews began their search Friday afternoon, with teams coming from Cowichan, Salt Spring Island, Metchosin, the Saanich Peninsula, Ladysmith and Nanaimo to assist Juan de Fuca searchers.
Weber said the area has “treacherous terrain” with cliffs and ravines, and a storm packing rain and strong winds the previous week felled trees and branches and made ocean waves dangerous.
“It’s an area where people can easily get turned around. Search and rescue has been called to this area many, many times,” Weber said in a message over the weekend.
It wasn’t immediately clear when searches in the area would continue.
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