Cory Westcott of Nelson has been missing since Aug. 31.
His mother, Rena Zacher, is still looking for him, and so is the Nelson Police Department.
“We’re still actively working this file,” says Staff Sgt. Brian Weber. “We’ve actually put quite a few resources into it.”
Westcott, 34, who moved to Nelson from Vancouver last summer, went to visit a friend in Bonnington on Aug. 31 and then left. Zacher says that’s the last time he was seen.
Police found his truck, a grey 2007 Toyota Tundra crew cab pickup with the keys still in it, parked by the Kootenay Canal.
Weber says the police want to speak with anyone who had contact with Westcott in the days leading up to Aug. 31.
Zacher has put missing persons posters up in Bonnington and, with a group of friends, searched Crown land in the area. She has appeared as a guest on three different true crime podcasts and has started a private Facebook page, Answers for Cory. She gets updates from the police once a week.
She doesn’t hold out much hope that her son is still alive.
“It’s been five months. No phone activity. No bank card activity. We have to draw a conclusion … I feel like Cory has been gone since the day he disappeared.”
She said her initial opinion was that he would be found somewhere near where his truck was parked. But now she doubts that.
“If he had overdosed or he had an accident, he would be somewhere in the vicinity of his truck. The fact that he’s nowhere to be found makes it seem like even if he overdosed, they could have called someone. But they didn’t. Why hide his body?”
Zacher says she is pleased with the work of the police, and says the police had divers in the canal soon after his truck was found.
“The detective is really good. I believe that he’s doing his best to find whatever answers he can.”
Weber says the department has done more than a dozen interviews and followed up on a variety of tips.
“We’ve had the helicopter up for a second flight just last week, scouring the body of water out at the canal. So it’s still an active missing persons file.”
Zacher says every day is hard.
“It’s long days, long nights, and a lot of praying, a lot of crying. To think my son is gone forever. It’s so heartbreaking.”
The police are asking that anyone who saw anything out of the ordinary in those areas, on those days, is asked to contact the Nelson Police Department at 250-354-3919.
Anyone wishing to remain anonymous can contact BC Crime-stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (1-800-222-TIPS) or submit a tip on Facebook with West Kootenay Boundary Crimestoppers.
Related:
• West Kootenay mother searching for son missing since Sept. 1
• Police still searching for Cory Westcott of Nelson
bill.metcalfe@nelsonstar.com Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter
