Family asking for public’s assistance in locating missing Blood Tribe man
JASON MANY FINGERS HAS BEEN MISSING SINCE SEPT. 20
The Blood Tribe Police Service and the family of a missing man are asking for the public’s assistance in locating him.
Jason Many Fingers, 46, has been missing since Sept. 20 and was last seen fuelling his truck at Fas Gas in Pincher Creek in the middle of the afternoon.
On Friday morning in front of the Blood Tribe Police Service in Standoff, Many Fingers’ father, Randy, made a public plea in assisting to find his son.
“We just want to, on behalf of our family, ask the public and their surrounding area if they have seen our son, Jason,” said Randy, who was joined by his wife Marjorie and Amanda Blackwater, Many Fingers’ co-worker at the Recreation Centre in Standoff. “Jason is very friendly and outgoing and he was staying at our house the last two months with his daughter. We are asking the public if they could help in locating our son. I know people are asking where or what happened and we can’t answer that question.
“We have to go through the Tribal Police and people mean well. We just sometimes want to avoid the public because we don’t know where our son is.
“People I know are praying for our son and if our son is around I want him to come home.
“The police have said there are no charges pending or anything, they just want, the family and his friends, for him to come home and we hope he’s well, wherever he might be.”
Primary investigator Sergeant Rayan Najjar of the General Investigation Unit at BTPS said Many Fingers was reported missing by his family Oct. 1.
“We were advised that there had not been any communication with him since Sept. 20,” he said.
Utilizing the Missing Persons Act, the investigation revealed there had not been any cellphone or bank activity since Sept. 20.
“It was on that date at 3:45 p.m. Many Fingers was recorded on surveillance fuelling his truck at the Fas Gas in Pincher Creek,” said Najjar.
Many Fingers was last seen wearing black sweat pants, a grey shirt, a dark grey hooded zip-up, black and white running shoes and a dark-coloured baseball hat. He is six feet tall and approximately 175 pounds.
Many Fingers was driving his father’s white 2005 GMC Sierra extended cab, bearing the Alberta licence plate CFN 2131. The truck has black, plastic coverings over the wheel wells.
“We are asking residents and businesses in the Pincher Creek area to contact police if they are in any possession of any video surveillance that may assist in our investigation, specifically the afternoon of Sept. 20,” said Najjar. “We are also asking anyone who may have seen Jason or the truck to contact our Tip Line at (403) 7378850 or by calling Crime Stoppers (1-800-222-8477) immediately.
Najjar said they have no evidence to believe the disappearance is suspicious in nature.
Speaking to the family, Najjar said Many Fingers doesn’t have very many ties in Pincher Creek.
“He does have some connections on the Piikani reserve in Brocket, but other than that, his reasoning for being in Pincher Creek, we aren’t aware of.”
Najjar said there was nothing to indicate any suspicious behaviour the night before Many Fingers’ disappearance and they’ll continue to follow any leads.
“It’s an open investigation and we’ll continue working on it. That’s why our plea is to the public, to continue with leads if they have seen Jason or the truck. The surveillance will probably help us out with travel into and out of Pincher Creek.”
Najjar added the family indicated Many Fingers’ disappearance is uncharacteristic.
“That’s why they reported it to us. So we took it very seriously, as we do all missing person files, and the investigation started immediately.”
Najjar said the BTPS would like to start a search, but as of right now don’t have enough evidence as to where to start.
“Right now, it’s a fairly general area of the Pincher Creek area and that’s from Sept. 20. So that’s why we are seeking the public’s assistance with that video surveillance, any tips. If they’ve seen Jason or the truck to call us at our Tip Line or Crime Stoppers immediately. That will allow us to narrow down an area that we can start a ground search or an aerial search. Whatever methods we can use, we will.”
Najjar said to his understanding Many Fingers’ family has been active on their own trying to locate him.
“We’ve seen a lot of social media posts and sharing. I have communication with the family that they have been out in the Fort Macleod, Pincher Creek, Brocket and Lethbridge areas actively trying to locate Jason.”