Carol Barnes assures the search won’t end until her cousin, Ashley Bourgeault, and her boyfriend, Dominic Neron are found.
Six members of couple’s immediate families have travelled to Revelstoke, including Ashley’s father, Richard Borgeault, and her brother, Richard Jr. to join in the search effort.
Dominic’s brother, Don, and sister, Tammy, are also in the eastern B.C. community awaiting news on the Edmonton couple.
Neron and Bourgeault left from Penticton a week ago Saturday at 2:30 p.m., en route to Edmonton in a single-engine Mooney airplane.
The last evidence of their location came late that evening when a tower picked up a ping from Neron’s cell phone, approximately 20 kilometres northeast of Revelstoke.
The Victoria Joint Rescue co-ordination Centre has been heading up the search which began last Sunday morning.
“The family is holding out hope,” said Barnes, who lives in Edmonton. “We’re not giving up until we bring them home.”
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One Cormorant helicopter and one Buffalo airplane, both from CFB Comox, were part of Sunday’s search effort.
The JRCC plans to end its coordination of the search by tomorrow night unless any new clues are found.
Barnes said with help of dozens of people throughout the region, the family plans to see the search and rescue through to the end.
“There are people coming out of the woodwork to help, local search groups, heli skiers all kinds of people and it’s very heartwarming,” she said. “Every day we wake up with hope, then by the end of the day, you’re dreading that call at 4 o’clock that tells you there’s nothing.
“The family’s not going to stop. They’re coming home no matter what.”
The family is asking anyone who may have sold Dominic or Ashley a survival kit in the last two months, to contact authorities or the family.
Barnes said a trust fund is in the process of being set up to help cover the cost for family members who are in Revelstoke during the rescue effort. Funds will also be collected to support Ashley’s three children, aged 9, 5 and 4.
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