B.C. RCMP announce break in 6-year-old missing person's case

RCMP have announced a break in their investigation into the disappearance of a senior in east-central B.C., six years after the man disappeared.

Vern Boettger was 78 when he vanished from the small community of Vavenby,northeast of Kamloops, on Oct. 6, 2013. He liked to go for leisurely drives down rural roads, according to his family, and was last seen in his black Ford Ranger pickup truck.

Search and rescue crews launched an intensive search for Boettger, but neither he nor thetruck were everfound.

That changed last month.

RCMP announced Thursday the truck was found in a culvert on Sept. 5, north of GraffunderLake nearVavenby. A new search was launched around the area, but nothing was found thatshed new lighton what happened to Boettger.

Cpl. Madonna Saunderson said there is no evidence of foul play, butthe vehicle appears to have gottenstuck and officers believe Boettger may have been unable to free the truck. The terrain in the area is ruggedand the officer said there is a "considerable" amount of overgrown brush around the vehicle.

Saunderson said the investigation is ongoing.

"Certainly, it's very helpful to the police and hopefully it's one step closer to finding information that will help the family," the officer said.