Behchoko RCMP have made the “difficult decision” to conclude the search for Ralph Beaulieu, 54, after “an exhaustive search of the area,” according to a May 22 RCMP news release.
The decision was made in consultation with “search partners and Beaulieu’s family,” the release stated. The investigation into his disappearance will continue, however, and “future searches may take place if new information is received.”
“Anyone who has information about Ralph Beaulieu’s whereabouts or had contact with him leading up to his disappearance, is asked to contact the Behchoko RCMP,” the release stated. “The Behchoko RCMP would like to thank all of the volunteers and searchers who tirelessly contributed the search effort.”
Beaulieu was first reported missing by a concerned friend on May 9.
He had left for his cabin on April 28 with plans to head out on the land the following day. However, he was not at his cabin when his friend went to pick him up on May 8.
After he was reported missing, officers visited his cabin, but found that he did not arrive there as planned, and subsequently conducted a search of the immediate area.
From there, the searched continued with the help of Civil Air Search and Rescue Association (CASARA), Yellowknife Search and Rescue, and community volunteers.
“The family isn’t giving up the search for their brother,” Deninu Kue First Nation Chief Louis Balsillie wrote on Facebook on May 21, the day before the search was called off. “He’s been missing for 22 days.
Balsillie then called on the territorial government to support the search effort by sending rangers out onto the land.
“Let’s lobby the government for their help,” he said. “They spend all kinds of money on the stupidest things, but they can’t help with someone’s life by getting the rangers (sic) out in full force. That’s what I thought the rangers were here for.”