CANADA Canada - Ben Tyner, 32, cowboy, horse returned w/o him, Merritt, British Columbia, 26 Jan 2019 - #3

[Trudie]

And trailered up either 97C or 5 and then headed into the area between those two roads. Lots of logging roads in there. Zoom in on my map above and they show up...Coyote Valley Road, 8 Mile Road etc.

Tysm. Well, we know Gunny was trailered, we don’t know the specific route.

 

[zecats]

You’re correct, LE will not tell the public anything they know.

Could the reason they were looking for dash cam video be they were looking for either a truck or trailer or horseback riders, including Ben, either or both Saturday or Sunday?

Because I admit, if they knew of Ben’s whereabouts on Saturday might, what were they looking for on Saturday? The only thing I can think of, if Ben did leave the ranch on horseback on Saturday, maybe LE predicted he might’ve rode out early Sunday via the same route again?

If a person disappears and there is a somewhat firm time when he was last seen or heard from (phone, text, FB), LE is not only going to be interested in what happened after that time. They're going to investigate what he was doing earlier too - who he talked to, did he go anywhere, did he have visitors, etc. Of course they're going to investigate Saturday afternoon too, and Saturday morning and probably even Friday and the entire week before. JMO

 

[MistyWaters]

It actually runs more north-south

Google Maps

And horse was reportedly found in area between 97C and 5. Swakum Ridge, not necessarily the mountain itself.

Yes that’s what I thought I’d noticed. Swakum Ridge is a ridge also on Swakum mountain. Winnie flats, near where the horse was found is also on Swakum Mountain. The low lying mountains in that area have a lot of grassy plateaus, ridges and flats.

 

[rb63]

Yes that’s what I thought I’d noticed. Swakum Ridge is a ridge also on Swakum mountain. Winnie flats, near where the horse was found is also on Swakum Mountain. The low lying mountains in that area have a lot of grassy plateaus, ridges and flats.

How did he get there from NR?

 

[Trudie]

If a person disappears and there is a somewhat firm time when he was last seen or heard from (phone, text, FB), LE is not only going to be interested in what happened after that time. They're going to investigate what he was doing earlier too - who he talked to, did he go anywhere, did he have visitors, etc. Of course they're going to investigate Saturday afternoon too, and Saturday morning and probably even Friday and the entire week before. JMO

We can at least hope. Also, dashcam/video can give info on murderer. Where was he going in Merritt, who did he see, what was he driving before murdering Ben, what time did he leave his house, return, etc., if he’s local to the area.
It is my belief this is a local, as Ben was likely targeted, according to LE.
all moo

 

[MistyWaters]

If a person disappears and there is a somewhat firm time when he was last seen or heard from (phone, text, FB), LE is not only going to be interested in what happened after that time. They're going to investigate what he was doing earlier too - who he talked to, did he go anywhere, did he have visitors, etc. Of course they're going to investigate Saturday afternoon too, and Saturday morning and probably even Friday and the entire week before. JMO

For sure, I was specifically referring to LE looking for dash cam video on Saturday so his activity on Saturday must’ve been of interest. Was it true he was seen riding away from the ranch on Saturday as well? (We don’t know).

Was the Sat 2pm “last seen” sighting at the ranch confirmed early on, we don’t know that either. But I do wonder if it was the 2pm “last seen” info that resulted in the truck and trailer interest, because of the time of day. Then LE learned of Ben’s whereabouts Saturday night and the investigation began to focus on Sunday as opposed to Saturday.

 

[zecats]

We can at least hope. Also, dashcam/video can give info on murderer. Where was he going in Merritt, who did he see, what was he driving before murdering Ben, what time did he leave his house, return, etc.
all moo

Agreed, but also looking back to see if Ben had any confrontations with another person the week before, the day before, the afternoon before. Looking for motive begins in the past IMO. Looking for Ben is helpful if a motive can be found and therefore a suspect.

 

[Trudie]

Agreed, but also looking back to see if Ben had any confrontations with another person the week before, the day before, the afternoon before. Looking for motive begins in the past IMO. Looking for Ben is helpful if a motive can be found and therefore a suspect.

Absolutely, Ze.
Really, there’s nothing left to discuss. I think every link has been posted 50x. All info within TOS is here.
Moo

 

[Trudie]

How did he get there from NR?

The horse?

 

[rb63]

The horse?

I have hard time believing he went cross country with horse to flat area.. I think LE is also under this opinion.. But I could be wrong..

 

[Trudie]

I have hard time believing he went cross country with horse to flat area.. I think LE is also under this opinion.. But I could be wrong..

The side of the ridge Gunny was found on ruled out coming from NR.
Weather conditions would hamper the speed and distance a horse travels.
Moo
(Sorry for confusion)

 

[zecats]

I’m sorry, I’m not seeing all posts, I guess. Idk what you are talking about.

She is referring to the horse. Asked the question upthread #124 for how horse got up there to Swakum Ridge from NR.

 

[ktm44]

Yeah we don’t know if looking for strays had any connection. But this is where my imagination takes me - Ben, a Wyoming cowboy, relocates to Merritt area in November. Wouldn’t it be strange that he never ride away from the ranch site, especially on his days off prior to deep snow arriving? Especially if he spent his workdays in an office? This is why I question “no tracks”. Was he actually seen the day prior, on Saturday leaving the ranch? If so, did he also leave no tracks?

I’m not suggesting Ben was ambushed at the precise area where the riderless horse was found. But there’s a lot of variables - the attacker/s chased Gunny for a distance, hoping to catch her to therefore eliminate any sign of Ben’s disappearance but was unsuccessful in capturing her. Or the attacker caught her, transported her but upon unloading, she escaped. JMO

I'm not sure why you feel he spent his days in an affice. The ranch managers I know spend a great deal of time on a horse and a great deal of time with the cattle, as well as a certain amount of office time. You can familairize yourself with the financial aspects of an operation but you can't get a feel for the worth of the herd, pasture quality and cowboys without saddling a horse.

He posted pictures of himself on a horse overlooking the valley, indicating that he was familiarizing himself with the area and an employee posted on the FB missing page about how much he enjoyed spending time working cattle with Ben.

 

[MistyWaters]

I have hard time believing he went cross country with horse to flat area.. I think LE is also under this opinion.. But I could be wrong..

I have a hard time believing cowboys who ride in Nicola Valley always stick with the roads if trails are an option. But I could be wrong too and I don’t mind that because I’m not stuck on any one theory. If/when more information becomes available theories change. The problem is we really know so little and all we can do is guess. Did NR have a stray cattle problem, did Ben ride on his days off searching for stray cattle on Swakum ridge, where’d that information come from and is is credible or not.....answers to those questions are unknown at this time.

 

[MistyWaters]

I'm not sure why you feel he spent his days in an affice. The ranch managers I know spend a great deal of time on a horse and a great deal of time with the cattle, as well as a certain amount of office time. You can familairize yourself with the financial aspects of an operation but you can't get a feel for the worth of the herd, pasture quality and cowboys without saddling a horse.

He posted pictures of himself on a horse overlooking the valley, indicating that he was familiarizing himself with the area and an employee posted on the FB missing page about how much he enjoyed spending time working cattle with Ben.

Ha well truth be known as Ranch Manager I don’t believe Ben spent his days in an office sitting in front of a computer and so I agree with you 100%. But that he did has been stated here many times by others so I was just going with the flow. One of the other reasons I don’t think he spent his days in an office was because NR employed an Office Manager as well.

 

[ktm44]

I have a hard time believing cowboys who ride in Nicola Valley always stick with the roads if trails are an option. But I could be wrong too and I don’t mind that because I’m not stuck on any one theory. If/when more information becomes available theories change. The problem is we really know so little and all we can do is guess. Did NR have a stray cattle problem, did Ben ride on his days off searching for stray cattle on Swakum ridge, where’d that information come from and is is credible or not.....answers to those questions are unknown at this time.

Perhaps his information came from ranch records. There should have been some records on how many head went into a pasture and how many pairs came back to the ranch.

Another option would be that he was present for the late fall gather and be aware that they missed a few or it's not unusual for someone to call a ranch and simply tell them they spotted cattle with their brand in a certain area.

If those strays were simply cattle still on crown land, it could put the ranch in default of the terms of their lease and the ranch would risk losing their grazing lease.

 

[rb63]

I have a hard time believing cowboys who ride in Nicola Valley always stick with the roads if trails are an option. But I could be wrong too and I don’t mind that because I’m not stuck on any one theory. If/when more information becomes available theories change. The problem is we really know so little and all we can do is guess. Did NR have a stray cattle problem, did Ben ride on his days off searching for stray cattle on Swakum ridge, where’d that information come from and is is credible or not.....answers to those questions are unknown at this time.

We all have an opinions and that's is great. You could be right, not saying you are not.. Respect your opinion... However I am not wanting to argue with you over my own opinion.. So I done on this topic.

 

[Trudie]

Remember, Ben was GM, not cow boss.
I posted want ad for cow boss, his responsibility is to work from horseback, oversee the cowboys. IMO, GM would oversee every aspect of the ranch. He would have calls, emails, schedules, vet appointments, sales, logging, possibly home renovations , vehicle & equipment mtc., to oversee. As time permitted, or if his help was needed, the GM would be on horseback.
With the cash flow issue we've read about, my theory is Ben had his hands full getting up to speed with the goings on at NR.
Moo

 

[Trudie]

We all have an opinions and that's is great. You could be right, not saying you are not.. Respect your opinion... However I am not wanting to argue with you over my own opinion.. So I done on this topic.

Once I get my theory, I don’t deviate. Do you?

 

[ktm44]

I have a hard time believing cowboys who ride in Nicola Valley always stick with the roads if trails are an option. But I could be wrong too and I don’t mind that because I’m not stuck on any one theory. If/when more information becomes available theories change. The problem is we really know so little and all we can do is guess. Did NR have a stray cattle problem, did Ben ride on his days off searching for stray cattle on Swakum ridge, where’d that information come from and is is credible or not.....answers to those questions are unknown at this time.

That likely changes according to season, although I doubt if they use many bike trails. Horses, cattle and bikes don't mix well.

Ben went missing in winter and the roads would have been open and clear for logging operations but the trails could literally have snow up to the belly of a horse, with no idea of the footing below.

It could be a long walk home if you lame a horse. .