It’s been a year since Ryan Shtuka disappeared from Sun Peaks ski resort and as his mother continues to search for answers, she also wants to ensure his memory stays alive.
In an emotion-laden letter and video posted on Facebook, Heather Warren Shtuka said she wants Ryan to “be forever known.”
Here are her words, in full:
”More importantly I want to do what he may have been able to accomplish in his life if he could. If there had been enough time. If he could have taken the lessons life gives to you and learned from them.
To change the world in some small way.
Even if it is just for Scott, myself or the girls.
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But maybe a year later he has changed some of you as well?
What if Ryan was your reason for joining? For volunteering? For putting yourself out there intentionally and with kindness?
For taking moments and enjoying them with a little more sweetness? For embracing this beautifully tragic life?
I want Ryan to be remembered by each and every person who has felt a shift in the way they view the world and themselves because of his story.
For them, Ryan will forever be their reason .
And 40 years from now, people will ask them how they came to be who they are.
And they will say:
‘Let me tell you a story …. it all began with a boy named Ryan.'”
February 17 marked one year since 20-year-old Ryan Shtuka went missing from Sun Peaks near Kamloops, following a house party on Burfield Drive. He was last seen leaving the party at about 2 a.m. to walk the short distance back to his home.
RCMP say they have have no evidence to suggest Ryan met with foul play when he went missing.
The search for Ryan has never stopped. Heather returned to the ski hill back in November to lead the effort in looking for Ryan, but has yet to find anything.
She believes her son likely succumbed to the elements and his body is somewhere in Sun Peaks. She understood after the first few days without any sign of Ryan the chances of finding him alive were slim.
“There’s no leads and that has always been the frustrating part — that there’s no evidence to suggest he left Sun Peaks at all. There’s no tips, no gossip, nothing that would lead us into a different direction,” Heather said back in 2018.
Since Ryan’s disappearance the community of Sun Peaks has come together to assist the Shtuka family and RCMP with the search.
On Feb. 16, the resort hosted A Run for Ryan, an opportunity for the Sun Peaks community to gather and show their support for the Shtuka family.
Join the conversation in the search for Ryan by using the hashtag #findryanshtuka.
