The search for a missing fisherman in the Salmon Arm area has officially been disbanded by RCMP and Shuswap Search and Rescue.
The man has been identified at 59-year-old John Poole from Calgary. He was last heard from at approximately 1 p.m. Tuesday, April 30 when he text messaged his wife with a picture of himself near Copper Island.
Poole’s family is now in contact with an Idaho couple who recently assisted with the recovery of the bodies of two teen boys from Nicola Lake near Merritt.
Gene and Sandy Ralston volunteer their time and specialized sonar equipment to find missing people in lakes.
Poole was staying at his vacation home in Wild Rose Bay and was seen fishing on Tuesday morning.
A neighbour looking out from a residence saw the boat out in choppy waters near noon, but could not see if anyone was on board. He later saw the boat on shore, but thought the operator might have just been waiting out bad weather or visiting a geo-cache site located nearby.
At approximately 8 a.m. May 1, the man’s boat was found beached on the rocks by the same neighbour, who contacted police. The boat was in gear with the down riggers and fishing lines engaged.
Shortly thereafter, the man’s wife called Salmon Arm RCMP to report him missing.
“When we boarded the boat, we found the man’s wallet, jacket and car keys, as well as some tools spread out. We also checked the home and nothing was amiss,” says Staff Sgt. Kevin Keane.
Police do not believe Poole was wearing a life jacket.
Last Wednesday, members of Shuswap Search and Rescue were out on the water and a helicopter was called in to assist with an aerial search of the region near Eagle Bay. By Thursday, however, the search had been scaled back before finally being called off.
