Volunteers are continuing to scour the bush and put up posters in the ongoing search for 41-year-old Benjamin John Kilmer of Cobble Hill.
“We still need volunteers — hikers, quadders (all terrain vehicles), dirt bikers,” said Tiffany Goebel of Victoria, one of the people updating a Facebook page called Find Ben Kilmer.
“We need that community effort to continue.”
Those wanting to help are asked to meet at the Sahtlam Fire Hall, located between Duncan and Lake Cowichan.
Anyone with property in the area is being asked to search their outbuildings, barns, sheds and land, said Goebel, a friend of Kilmer’s family.
If a property owner is unable to check over a property, the search co-ordinators are asking for permission to allow volunteers to carry out that task, she said.
Messages can be left on the Facebook page, which is also a place to get updates on search locations and what is needed.
Volunteers have turned up with drones, trained tracking dogs, and specialized equipment for working in rugged terrain. Two women brought in horses to help. Several print shops have been producing posters, Goebel said.
Search-and-rescue personnel, police officers and volunteers turned out after Kilmer’s vehicle was found still running and abandoned in the Sahtlam area on May 16. Close to 200 searchers were on the ground on Sunday.
Although the official search ended late Monday, volunteer searchers are continuing their efforts.
Offers of search help and interest in the search remain strong, Goebel said.
Searchers are heading to new areas that have not been covered, such as the Honeymoon Bay area to the west, and are also going over previously scanned land, she said.
People have been travelling from elsewhere on Vancouver Island to help in the search, and volunteering to check out new locations that might not have been covered.
Kilmer, the father of two young children, is five-foot-10, 180 pounds and clean-shaven with short brown hair and blue eyes. He was last seen wearing light-coloured pants, a black shirt and steel-toed work boots.
Anyone with information is asked to call North Cowichan/ Duncan RCMP at 250-748-5522 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
