CANADA Canada - Ben Tyner, 32, cowboy, horse returned w/o him, Merritt, British Columbia, 26 Jan 2019 - #2

[MistyWaters]

If the horse trailer was hooked up to the truck, and Ben was last seen on Saturday evening but not at the ranch, then someone must have hooked up the trailer after Saturday. If Ben hooked up the trailer and drove to the logging road, how did his truck get home?

Although the horse was located on the logging road, where did she come from?......another unknown. The trapper was reported saying she was “pretty jumpy” plus it took him 20 minutes to catch her . Prior to that she could’ve already covered several miles. Maybe somebody will confirm this but my understanding is a horse in good shape can easily travel 30 or so miles in a day.

My questions are - would it be reasonable to ride from NR to Swakum Ridge and back within daylight hours or would a horse have to be trailered there? And how far is Swakum Ridge from where the horse was found?

 

[Trudie]

Sd

 

[Trudie]

Although the horse was located on the logging road, where did she come from?......another unknown. The trapper was reported saying she was “pretty jumpy” plus it took him 20 minutes to catch her . Prior to that she could’ve already covered several miles. Maybe somebody will confirm this but my understanding is a horse in good shape can easily travel 30 or so miles in a day.

My questions are - would it be reasonable to ride from NR to Swakum Ridge and back within daylight hours or would a horse have to be trailered there? And how far is Swakum Ridge from where the horse was found?

Horses have unique dispositions. Her normal behavior might be “jumpy”. A loose horse can be difficult to catch, especially w/o a feed bucket in hand. Moo
I think the answers to your questions are on first thread, (first few pages) we had several locals then, iirc.

 

[MistyWaters]

Considering the resources used during the last search, I think LE had reason to suspect the feed yard/compost area.

I was hopeful to hear the media reporting about a portable crime scene tent being erected somewhere out there, always a sure indication something important was found. Instead, nothing. Hopefully the intensive 3 day search was not entirely futile. Even if it was, I suppose it still goes toward proving investigative due diligence when somebody is eventually charged and tried in a court of law.

 

[Trudie]

I’m glad no tent went up, the smell from a manure pile is potent enough w/o enclosing it.

 

[Trudie]

As far as video & dash cam footage, it is moo a lot has been found. Perhaps an interesting vehicle is seen at Points A & B but moves into an area with fewer cameras, causing LE problems as far as where the unit turned, did it turn, etc. The request has been active for weeks, surely responses were many. Jmo

 

[MistyWaters]

Horses have unique dispositions. Her normal behavior might be “jumpy”. A loose horse can be difficult to catch, especially w/o a feed bucket in hand. Moo
I think the answers to your questions are on first thread, (first few pages) we had several locals then, iirc.

Thanks, I did look but the discussion I noticed involved roads that were passable by vehicle, but not necessarily the same as a horseback route would be from NR to Swakum Ridge. My questions were the thinking out loud variety.

Best as I can tell, not a lot of credence was ever given to the possibility Ben rode his horse to Swakum Ridge (for example bright and early Sunday morning) looking for stray cattle or any other reason, except that LE publicly asked if anyone saw a man riding a horse there either Saturday or Sunday. I think that’s because the 2pm last sighting became ingrained in our thoughts and following that, the crime having occurred that same day. So I’m just trying to view the small pieces of information we do know from a different perspective.

 

[Trudie]

I don’t believe LE expected anyone to come forward to report seeing Ben riding on Sunday. Jmo

 

[Trudie]

Think about it. The horse was found just after 5AM on Monday. The horse had stepped on the reins. 24 hours earlier it was Sunday, the day that Ben was no longer in contact. Someone took the horse to the logging road maybe as late as 5AM Monday or as early as midnight Saturday/Sunday - 29 hours maximum that the horse could have been at the logging road. I'm assuming that no one messed with Ben's horse while he was alive.

Why is the murder so elaborate? Why isn't this just a dead body or a missing person? Why is there a ruse that he went horseback riding Saturday afternoon and never returned? That seems so planned out with a plausible theory for someone's absence.

Staging the horse is too complicated for a one-stop accidental murder.The clever, bungled and long-winded murder scenario seems feminine. Who is the culprit?

Well, we must remember Ben was “targeted”, perhaps.
Some planning occurred, imo.
The horse had to be found, otherwise someone from NR was gonna find it necessary to report him missing.
If the perp did not want Gunny found, he had other means available. Many, many options.

 

[otto]

Although the horse was located on the logging road, where did she come from?......another unknown. The trapper was reported saying she was “pretty jumpy” plus it took him 20 minutes to catch her . Prior to that she could’ve already covered several miles. Maybe somebody will confirm this but my understanding is a horse in good shape can easily travel 30 or so miles in a day.

My questions are - would it be reasonable to ride from NR to Swakum Ridge and back within daylight hours or would a horse have to be trailered there? And how far is Swakum Ridge from where the horse was found?

If the horse had travelled miles, there would be prints leading to that location. I'm surprised that SAR were unable to distinguish Ben's horse tracks from wild animals and horses. Wild horses would have to cross paths with Ben's horse for the tracks to be mixed up, and otherwise it's a straight forward path in the snow.

"... we're having trouble locating tracks because of all the wildlife in the area and other wild horse herds."
...

“Nothing has been identified at this point to indicate Ben or any of his footprints or any sign of Ben in relation to the horse.”​

Search For Missing Wyoming Cowboy Suspended

 

[Trudie]

If the horse had travelled miles, there would be prints leading to that location. I'm surprised that SAR were unable to distinguish Ben's horse tracks from wild animals and horses. Wild horses would have to cross paths with Ben's horse for the tracks to be mixed up, and otherwise it's a straight forward path in the snow.

"... we're having trouble locating tracks because of all the wildlife in the area and other wild horse herds."
...

“Nothing has been identified at this point to indicate Ben or any of his footprints or any sign of Ben in relation to the horse.”​

Search For Missing Wyoming Cowboy Suspended

Yea, as one poster put it, the horse had to have wings to get to Swakum w/o leaving tracks.
IMO this case is not difficult.
The million dollar question is ‘where is Ben’, of course.
Aside from not having an answer, I think the rest is pretty cut & dry.
It comes down to persons with access to Ben’s horse & tack. That eliminates almost everyone in Canada, imo.

 

[Trudie]

@otto once the saddle was removed from Gunny, an experienced horse person would have an idea how long she had been under saddle, imo.
Most saddles loosen a bit after a horse sweats. That would be a big clue. Was saddle sitting as it should, had it slipped to one side, was the saddle pad wet. All things that might indicate how long she was running at large.

 

[otto]

@otto once the saddle was removed from Gunny, an experienced horse person would have an idea how long she had been under saddle, imo.
Most saddles loosen a bit after a horse sweats. That would be a big clue. Was saddle sitting as it should, had it slipped to one side, was the saddle pad wet. All things that might indicate how long she was running at large.

I've more or less arrived at the idea that the horse was transported to the logging road by by trailer, and that it was found in the same area where it was left. Normally a horse would go home, but where does the horse think is home - Wyoming, or the ranch where it lived for 3 months?

The time that the horse could have been there is between Saturday night, when Ben was last seen, and 5AM on Monday: 29 hours max.

 

[Trudie]

I've more or less arrived at the idea that the horse was transported to the logging road by by trailer, and that it was found in the same area where it was left. Normally a horse would go home, but where does the horse think is home - Wyoming, or the ranch where it lived for 3 months?

Every horse I ride knows his way back to the starting point, be it home or where they were unloaded from the trailer.
They are gifted with a strong sense of direction, for sure.

 

[Trudie]

Ben was so well liked & respected in his profession, it would not surprise me if a wealthy rancher from the Wyoming area hired a PI on behalf of the Tyner’s. I don’t think they were comfortable leaving Ca w/o answers.
They don’t strike me as the type to sit quietly hoping for a phone call.
All speculation

 

[cutter99]

Every horse I ride knows his way back to the starting point, be it home or where they were unloaded from the trailer.
They are gifted with a strong sense of direction, for sure.

Not every horse knows their way back to where they start. If this were true, there would never be lost horses out there. There are plenty of times where horse and rider become separated and the horses do not make it back alive.

 

[Trudie]

I've more or less arrived at the idea that the horse was transported to the logging road by by trailer, and that it was found in the same area where it was left. Normally a horse would go home, but where does the horse think is home - Wyoming, or the ranch where it lived for 3 months?

The time that the horse could have been there is between Saturday night, when Ben was last seen, and 5AM on Monday: 29 hours max.

Probably so. One local posted the loggers are off on weekends, beginning again Monday a.m.
IMO, the perp/s wanted Gunny found. If not, they could have turned her loose unsaddled. The plan (elaborate scheme as you call it) was to make it appear as a riding mishap, imo.

 

[Trudie]

Nothing has been identified at this point to indicate Ben or any of his footprints or any sign of Ben in relation to the horse.”

Search For Missing Wyoming Cowboy Suspended

We were talking about lack of tracks earlier, so reposting this old article.

 

[MistyWaters]

Nothing has been identified at this point to indicate Ben or any of his footprints or any sign of Ben in relation to the horse.”

Search For Missing Wyoming Cowboy Suspended

We were talking about lack of tracks earlier, so reposting this old article.

Yes we know Ben wasn’t found anywhere near where the horse was located. There appears to be no reason whatsoever for him to have ridden his horse up a logging road. But that the hoof prints weren’t or couldn’t be tracked isn’t proof the horse was stationary the entire time. Where the horse was found is described a logging road off of Hwy 97c near Winnie Flats iirc, not Swakum Ridge, so I think it’s a safe assumption by the description that it’s two separate areas. Could the horse have travelled riderless from Swakum Ridge to where she was found within a day or so, I have no idea.

My opinion, it’d be a huge leap in logic to assume the horse remained in the exact same location on the logging road - regardless of the theory, whether she was intentionally staged and delivered by a truck and trailer or whether she became riderless at a location where Ben was ambushed. JMO

 

[MistyWaters]

If anyone’s interested in the weather in January during the last week in January, here’s a link.

Weather in January 2019 in Merritt, British Columbia, Canada

I notice Sunday, Jan 27th was unseasonably warm at 11C (or 52F). While the temp would be colder at higher elevations, considering the mild temperature for prior weeks there probably wasn’t a lot of snow cover yet at that time, making tracking even more difficult.