Body of missing Island man discovered in remote area
VICTORIA The body of a Vancouver Island father missing since May has been found, says his family.
His family said the remains of Ben Kilmer, 41, were found Oct. 17 in a remote area near Duncan.
“Ben is not coming home as we had hoped,” the family said in a statement Wednesday. Kilmer was a father to a five-year-old girl and a three-year-old boy.
“His death is a shock to all who knew him, and a devastating outcome to a vast and difficult search,” reads the statement.
It’s the end to a highly publicized search that included large signs and posters throughout the Island. If people didn’t know what had happened to Kilmer, they surely knew he was missing.
His wife Tonya Kilmer was tireless in her appeals in the media and in her community.
In a news conference July 6, she pleaded: “How can a man, 190 pounds, a man who is so strong and who has such love and devotion for his family just not be seen?”
“Somebody out there knows something, and I just pray they see this and hear me and do the right thing,” she said. “Please, come forward.”
The electrician was reported missing May 16. He worked for Norpac Power and was spotted on a job-site video camera that morning.
His white work van, marked with the Norpac name and logo, was found that afternoon, engine running, parked on Cowichan Lake Road, in the Sahtlam area west of Duncan.
Despite extensive searches by the RCMP, search-and-rescue teams and volunteers, sometimes totalling more than 200 people, no trace of Kilmer was found.
Police say his body was found by a hiker well outside the original search area.
The RCMP said in a statement that foul play isn’t suspected and the case has been turned over to the B.C. Coroners Service.
RCMP Cpl. Tammy Douglas said in July that investigators were especially interested in hearing from anybody who was driving along the 4000 block of Cowichan Lake Road on May 16.
In the statement, the family thanked all who searched for him and the community that rallied behind them for five months, combing through dense wilderness, putting up 10,000 posters, and donating time and money.
“It is our sincere wish that every person who was involved feels the value of that effort,” said the family. “There are no words to fully convey what this has meant to us, but we thank you with all our hearts.”
The family is remembering Kilmer for his zest for life, passion for the outdoors, love of music and photography, work ethic and loyalty.
“Most importantly, Ben will always be cherished as a husband and life partner, a loving daddy, a son, a brother, an uncle, a nephew, a cousin, a friend to so many, and a beautiful human being who shared a smile with everyone he passed,” reads the statement.
Ben is not coming home as we had hoped. His death is a shock to all who knew him, and a devastating outcome.