The controversial disappearance and death of Jordan Naterer in British Columbia
Jordan Naterer, disappeared October 13, 2020, E.C. Manning Provincial Park, British Columbia, Canada. Remains found July 7, 2021.
Revised July 2024
Jordan Naterer, 25, was reported missing on October 13, 2020, after he failed to arrive at a Thanksgiving dinner. His black 2016 Honda Civic was found in the Lightning Lake day-use area of the E.C. Manning Provincial Park in British Columbia at the Frosty Mountain trailhead.
The case has caused plenty of controversies, as friends and family believe that the search was called off too early. Even the Canadian Prime Minister became involved.
Jordan’s remains were finally located in Manning Park on Wednesday, July 7, 2021, after some of his belongings were found by volunteer searchers on July 4. The body was around 1.8 miles (3km) away from the pack. The area had been thoroughly searched as a priority area by search and rescue, but somehow, his body had been missed during the initial SAR operation in October 2020. The family believes Jordan may have become disorientated in a storm that hit the area.
Background to the Jordan Naterer disappearance
Jordan was a Memorial University engineering alumni and a recent University of British Columbia graduate. He was last seen leaving his downtown Vancouver apartment at Seymour and Nelson Streets at around 7 am on October 10, 2020.
It’s believed he set out for a solo hike on Frosty Mountain Trail in Manning Provincial Park, but he didn’t leave a trip plan. When he didn’t show up for Thanksgiving dinner with friends two days later, the search began on October 13.
Jordan was five feet 10 inches tall, with a slim build and short brown hair. He was last seen wearing black pants, white running shoes, and a large olive green backpack.
His bank card records indicated he had bought a cup of coffee at the Manning Park resort, verifying where he had been before he vanished. He had also purchased camping equipment and apparel some time before, giving the family detailed information like the tread type on his boots.
What is and where is E.C Manning Provincial Park?
E.C. Manning Provincial Park is a provincial park in British Columbia, Canada. It is usually referred to as Manning Park. It is about 160 miles (200 kilometers) east of Vancouver.
The park covers 83,671 hectares (323 square miles) and lies along British Columbia Highway 3. It occupies a large area between Hope and Princeton along the Canada-United States border.
The park was named in memory of Ernest Callaway Manning, Chief Forester of British Columbia from 1936 to 1941 (not to be confused with Ernest C. Manning, Premier of Alberta from 1943 to 1968). Manning was killed in an airplane accident in 1941. During his time as Chief Forester, he was instrumental in developing the idea of setting land aside for future generations to enjoy. The teamwork of Manning and Arthur Wellesley Gray, Minister of Lands from 1933 to 1944, established Tweedsmuir Provincial Park, Hamber Provincial Park, Wells Gray Provincial Park, and E.C. Manning Provincial Park.
Over the years, Manning Park has decreased in size, the most noticeable change being the park boundary in the east. Originally, the park included Similkameen Falls, but due to mine claims and private land ownership, the boundaries have since been moved more than 2.5 miles (four kilometers) west.
The search for Jordan Naterer
Searchers believed that Jordan was on a "hiking trip that went poorly." His parents flew to Vancouver from their home in St. John's to help look for their son.
For five days, search-and-rescue teams from several parts of British Columbia scoured the area by air and on foot. Several volunteers also helped out. However, on October 17, the authorities decided to suspend the search, stating they had exhausted all avenues for searching. The search was called off "based on the expert advice of the SAR teams and lack of additional information."
The family launched its own private search, hired a drone company, and paid for a helicopter to search. They also appealed to the Vancouver Police Department to re-activate the search as soon as possible and get thermal imaging helicopters, drones and dogs up there.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau even got involved. In 1998, Trudeau’s 23-year-old brother, Michel, was swept away and died in an avalanche in British Columbia. "I can't personally hear that story and not think about my little brother, who was lost almost 25 years ago in the beautiful mountains in B.C.," said Trudeau, reflecting on "the efforts that went into trying to find him and how I felt when the search was called off."
Early in the search, crews found a bag that authorities didn’t think belonged to Jordan. But then, on October 18, Jordan’s mother, Josie, identified the contents of the bag as belonging to her son - which included a hat and pair of Oakley sunglasses, Pieces of down material, used in pillow fillers, were also spotted in the park. It was similar material Jordan used to make crafts and found at his apartment, according to his father, Greg Naterer.
Greg also said "off-trail footprints" had been found south of Frosty Peak in an area that hasn't been well searched. Based on new clues found by a private tracker, he had asked the RCMP to search the area east of Frosty Peak, where he believes his son wandered.
Search-and-rescue teams from three different districts near Vancouver resumed the search on October 22, but no sign of Jordan was found in the E.C. Manning Provincial Park.
Then Jordan’s parents, Greg and Josie Naterer kept up a relentless private search for Jordan after the official search ended. The couple assembled a dedicated team of volunteer hikers and searchers with drone support who scoured the park throughout the winter of 2020 whenever possible.
Jordan Naterer Remains found in July 2021
Jordan’s remains were finally located in Manning Park on Wednesday, July 7, 2021, after RCMP in Princeton, B.C., went into the park, following the discovery of items by search volunteers on July 4.
Jordan's backpack was found just 100 meters off the trail in the area the Vancouver Police Department first identified and searched as a priority. The body was around 1.8 miles (3km) away from the pack. Judging by the location of those items, the family believed he had walked nearly four kilometers through steep mountain drainage basins after a storm hit and he lost his way while hiking the Frosty Mountain Trail.
Greg Naterer said, "It's unbelievable the amount of distance that he traveled to try to survive and get out. It's the most brutal terrain that one could imagine, like a canyon, and it was a blizzard." Greg said the volunteer couldn't believe the ground Jordan had covered.
Josie Naterer said, "He was so brave at the end. He fought so vigorously at the end to get out and to come back to us."
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Sources
https://www.theguardian.pe.ca/news/canada/family-frantic-to-find-st-johns-man-jordan-naterer-missing-in-bc-512531/
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/jordan-naterer-missing-bc-manning-park-family-1.5767793
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E._C._Manning_Provincial_Park
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/trudeau-virtual-townhall-memorial-university-1.5772091
https://vancouversun.com/news/search-may-resume-today-for-missing-hiker-jordan-naterer
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/search-resumes-princeton-sar-manning-park-jordan-naterer-1.5772583
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/jordan-naterer-remains-found-1.6093880
https://globalnews.ca/news/8010732/jordan-naterer-remains-found-manning-park/
