“We’ve had a lot of pushback from RCMP. I’m sure that there’s reasons for the way they do their work, however, I feel like it’s been a lot of cost out of the family’s pocket to try to recover his remains… when we have local authorities who have boats, who have experience doing sonar on the Skeena river. It’s been a little bit frustrating to be honest.’ – Jahaziel Trudell
Trudell says its now time the authorities got more involved, which is why she’s organized a petition seeking to pressure the Terrace RCMP into authorizing the Okanagan Search and Rescue team to operate in Terrace along with their experienced underwater recovery dog named Barrett. Trudell says she’ll be circulating the petition to local officials later this month, including to Skeena MLA Claire Rattée and Terrace Mayor Sean Bujtas.
K9 Barrett and his handler, Terry Downs, have assisted in complex recoveries before, including cases in deep water and remote terrain. While they have indicated their willingness to help, they can not do so without the authorization of the Terrace RCMP, who must officially request the assistance of outside SAR resources first.
Missing Person sign for Thomas Kelly // Photo Credit: Shauna Kelly
Volunteers say they’ve already covered all accessible shorelines, islands and debris fields along the Skeena. Tom’s wife, Shauna Kelly, says she and the family’s two huskies have been searching for 8 hours a day nearly every day since her husband was swept away while fishing in the Skeena near Usk on the evening of July 12th.
‘Having a missing person in your family and not having any clue where they are… it’s about the biggest nightmare anybody can go through right.’ – Shauna Kelly, wife of Tom Kelly
‘I’ve not got a lot of communication from the RCMP to be honest, I’ve left messages for them a couple times. Victim’s Services called me today, oddly enough, after I spoke with Claire… I don’t know if she spoke with them as well and that had something to do with it.’ – Shauna Kelly, wife of Tom Kelly
Shauna noted, it was only during that phone call with Victim’s Services on Thursday, August 7th, that she was made aware of who the lead officer on her husband’s case was, nearly a month after the case was opened.
The Terrace RCMP had previously said that they would not resume the official search for Thomas Kelly until water levels on the Skeena dropped significantly, and had declined interviews and further comment on the case.
With summer recreation now in full swing, Shauna and supporters of the Kelly family have posted signs at boat launches and trails along the Skeena river’s edge requesting anyone on the water to keep their eyes peeled for any signs of Tom.
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