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Search suspended for missing Kelowna hunter, 74, after exhausting all options

Gordon Solloway has been missing since Sept. 24
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Gordon Solloway, 74, has been missing since Sept. 24 after he went on a short hunting trip east of Kelowna.

The search for a missing hunter near Kelowna has been called off five days after he first vanished, according to the RCMP.

The local police detachment stood down the Central Okanagan Search and Rescue’s search efforts for Gordon Solloway Tuesday morning after they were unable to find him after an exhaustive search. Mounties said the search will resume if additional information is received.

According to police, search and rescue teams from Kelowna, Penticton and Vernon, along with a fixed wing aircraft and an RCMP helicopter searched 4,200 square kilometres east of Kelowna to no avail. Family and friends also helped in the search.

READ MORE: Search continues for overdue hunter near Kelowna

The search began in earnest on Sept. 26 after the 74-year-old did not return from a short hunting trip by noon of the that day.

According to the officials, his truck was last seen by a security camera that day driving up Goudie Road, however search and rescue teams were unable to locate it despite an extensive search over the weekend and into Monday.

According to the RCMP, the search expanded from Goudie Road/James Lake to include the area around Big White and McCullough Lake recreational area. With help from Vernon and Penticton search and rescue teams, it eventually covered the area between Lavington and Penticton and over to Beaverdell.

Solloway’s family told searchers it would be very out of character for him to go missing and they are particularly concerned for his health because he has mobility issues.

Solloway is described as a five-foot-nine, Caucasian male with brown hair and blue eyes weighing about 250 lbs.

Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Solloway is urged to contact their local police or the Kelowna RCMP at 250-762-3300. The public can also remain completely anonymous by calling a tip into Crime Stoppers.


Paul Clarke
Assistant bureau chief, B.C. Interior South Division
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