Yahoo Movies 'We won't give up,' mother says as search for missing son in B.C. continues
The family of a man thought to be missing in the British Columbia wilderness is not giving up hope on the search as it closes in on its sixth week.
Jordan Naterer, 25, was last seen on Oct. 10 when he left for a hike at EC Manning Provincial Park in British Columbia, about two hours east of Vancouver. He was reported missing three days later after not showing up to a friend's Thanksgiving dinner.
Naterer's parents live in St. John's. His mother, Josie, said the family and volunteer-led search has moved across the park. It will soon cross over the park's limits, she said.
"Aircraft went out last weekend, did a massive zig-zagging outside of the park boundaries," she said Friday. "We think it's possible Jordan could have wandered outside of the boundaries, and that's why we haven't found anything of our son."
Naterer's mother said information and findings of the aerial search will be sent to volunteers on Monday, who will use the data to add new grids to the areas they're scouring.
"The grid is going to be huge, we've asked volunteers to take one grid at a time," she said.
She said the move into the winter months has complicated the search to a degree, but that snow-covered ground and hard, dense terrain won't deter volunteers from continuing.
"If people were to see the areas that we have searched to date, they'd be surprised at how much we've walked, droned and flown through the park. But it's still not enough," she said.
"We're not giving up. We're continuing our search. We feel that our son has the possibility and chances of being alive and [he's] waiting for us to find him."
Vancouver vigil 'the support that we needed'
Sympathizers held an online vigil for Jordan in the Vancouver area Thursday night, which Naterer's mother said lifted her family's spirits.
"It was the support that we needed right now," she said. "This has been a very challenging time for our entire family, and it took us to a very comforting place.
"Our mornings start with hope, and though nothing is found that day, it's hard on all of us. So having the vigil last night just brought a warm feeling to our hearts."
As the search wraps up its sixth week, Josie Naterer said the family has the resources to continue the search. They believe Jordan is still out there to be found.
"We have hope, we have the means," she said. "We're determined to find him. Whether it be today or next week in or two weeks, we won't give up."
