Lots of love fuels search for missing Island man
VICTORIA It’s been more than two weeks since Ben Kilmer disappeared in the Cowichan Valley.
A massive search has failed to find the 41-year-old father of two from Cobble Hill, and now his wife, Tonya, had to mark their wedding anniversary Friday without him.
“They were just an awesome, happy, outdoorsy family,” Tonya’s brother, Ryan Corry, said Thursday. “And it’s the most troubling, anguishing thing to watch a family member go through.”
Corry, who came from Calgary to assist with the search, is back home catching up on work, but plans to return to the Island on Sunday. His own wedding is slated to take place here this month, but right now he’s focused on supporting his family. “We always have each other’s back so that’s the No. 1 priority,” he said.
The one bright spot amid the darkness, Corry said, has been the outpouring of love and support since Kilmer was first reported missing May 16 — his work van found abandoned and running in the Sahtlam area, west of Duncan.
“As a whole, the community has been unbelievable,” he said.
“I talked to search-and-rescue and the police, and they said they’ve never seen such a banding together and so many people come out to help search and so many businesses and leaders from the community offering their help.
“It’s been amazing for sure and that’s kind of the silver lining.”
Family and friends have put their many skills to work and harnessed the power of social media to expand the search.
Shannon Wiest, who has known Tonya for 16 years, is helping from Ottawa, where she works as a communications strategist with the federal government. She said organizers are taking the many creative ideas that people post on the @FindBenKilmer Facebook site and putting them to work.
“The heart of this campaign has really been the positive energy of thousands of volunteers across the province and beyond,” she said. “For us, we are putting out calls to action, but the people taking up those calls are really what’s driving this forward.”
Wiest said Canada Post employees helped arrange for letter carriers to voluntarily deliver about 30,000 missing-persons flyers to businesses and residences in the Duncan area. Carmanah Pizza and Panago Pizza in Duncan are sending out flyers with every pizza delivery. And at least six printing and copy companies on the South Island have donated thousands of free posters. She estimates that there are now about 60,000 posters, flyers, billboards and banners across the province, most on Vancouver Island.
Nobody, she said, has asked for recognition. “They’re just saying, ‘How can we help?’
“Everybody brings something, and the biggest thing that people are bringing is obviously their enthusiasm. I just can’t believe how many people have just popped up and volunteered. It really restores your faith in humanity to see a community pull together like that.”
Wiest said it’s particularly meaningful knowing that Ben and Tonya are often the first to help others.
“I know that, myself, I’ve gone through some difficult moments in my life and Tonya and Ben are two of the friends that have put their heart and soul into helping me,” she said.
The ground search for Kilmer will continue through the weekend, and volunteers are asked to check the Facebook site for information on how to assist.
People with information on Kilmer’s disappearance are asked to call North Cowichan/Duncan RCMP at 250-748-5522.
Tipsters can also call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) with information on either case.