A Port Alberni man and his three-year-old son are still considered missing by the Port Alberni RCMP, who have not had direct contact with Jan Stelmaszyk since the pair was reported missing by concerned family members on July 3.
This is despite Stelmaszyk posting an official statement on his Instagram account on Sunday, July 8 that he has “been in contact with officers of RCMP since day one” after he moved to Italy with his son.
“I did not feel I have a responsibility to explain myself but after all these media rumors I changed my mind,” the 35-year-old posted. “I do feel I need to defend my name and my family. Yes, I have moved to Italy to visit my closest (sic) after some serious life-changing events. I simply needed some time to recover,” Stelmaszyk posted.
“I did not ask for all this attention, but I’m grateful for all the love I’m receiving. And to all the haters—stop talking about my situation if you don’t know the whole story.”
Stelmaszyk began posting Instagram photos of himself and his son, Matt Bartnik, 3, with a geo-tag from Arco, Italy on Friday, July 6 after finding out he had been reported missing.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bk-BC19gi10/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=42owgib0xedb
“My understanding is there’s photos of the son in Italy but there are no pictures of the Dad,” Port Alberni RCMP Cpl. Amelia Hayden said. “We have to verify who is using that social media account. We have to have face-to-face contact, even if he Skypes to say this is me and my son.
“We need Jan to present himself to an authority,” Hayden said. “We have to make conclusive confirmation that it’s him.”
Stelmaszyk tried unsuccessfully in the spring to launch a Kickstarter.com compaign for a novel called “My Journey.” The description for the project read: “In my world of #hypomania, taking the risk for a better life can be a hell of a challenge. This is the story of my journey.”
The campaign closed on April 30, 2018 without raising any funding.
Anyone who may have information on Stelmaszyk and his son’s whereabouts is asked to contact the Port Alberni RCMP at 250-723-2424 or call Alberni Valley Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
