This year will mark six years since Ryan Shtuka’s tragic disappearance from the village in 2018.
Annually, his family and friends have gathered in Sun Peaks for a candlelight vigil and walk to honour him and raise awareness around his disappearance, but this year they are approaching the heavy day differently.
“We were spending the day doing things that Ryan loved,” said Heather Shtuka, Ryan’s mother.
Similarly to other years, a Run for Ryan will go ahead on the Five Mile run, with supporters skiing or snowboarding down at 3 p.m. Then people are invited for hot chocolate at Tube Time.
Unlike years previous, the family decided not to have a candlelight vigil. This shift honours where they are emotionally after six years without Ryan, Shtuka explained
“The walk just seems to be quite heavy for them on an already heavy day. So we’re trying something new this year.”
After discussing what they needed, they decided to instead raise a toast at Bottom’s Bar and Grill and hold space for his memory there.
A symbol of Ryan is a green dinosaur, and many people worldwide post photos with his dinosaur on a Facebook page dedicated to him. The posts help Shtuka imagine Ryan travelling the world like many people do in their mid-20s.
“It’s hard for me to fathom that it’s been six years, it seems like no time has passed at all,” Shtuka said.
‘What amount is the appropriate amount?’
The family also decided to increase the reward for information that leads to finding Ryan, thanks to an anonymous donation from family friends.
After a lot of thought and many offers over the years, the family increased the reward from $15,000 to $25,000 in October 2023.
While advice from RCMP and Crimestoppers is not to increase rewards due to an influx in inaccurate tips, the family decided to go ahead.
“What amount is the appropriate amount? Because I would give everything I have if it meant that was going to be the one thing that could bring Ryan home,” Shtuka explained. “What is the amount that’s going to increase the tips, that is going to spread awareness, but without leading to people fabricating what they found?”
Fake tips take time and resources from the RCMP, from Shtuka’s case and other missing people.
She believes that if someone did find something that led to closure for the family, they would want to bring the information to the police out of the goodness in their hearts, not for a monetary reward.
“The people that know of something or could potentially know of something – is $25,000 enough to come forward? Most likely not.”
While there hasn’t been a significant increase in tips since increasing the reward, anyone with information about Ryan Shtuka are asked to contact Kamloops RCMP at 250-828-3000. Further details relating to Ryan’s case can be found here.
The RCMP has resources to tackle tips, and the family receiving them leads to further trauma for Shtuka.
“I receive messages that tell you the most horrific things that could happen to another human being. Most of those tips that come through are very explicit and tell me what has happened to him, and yet are really deficient in names or locations. So sometimes you wonder what the purpose is.”
After six years, she’s created boundaries around engaging with people who come forward to her with information. The choice is partially because of the tips’ content, but also because it’s not her specialty.
“I think over time I recognized that I am not an investigative [specialist]. That is not my bandwidth. And I don’t have the expertise to ask the questions and do the follow-up,” she said.
Anyone who wants to show support for the Shtuka family is welcome on Feb. 17 when SPR hosts A Run for Ryan. Details for the day are on SPR’s website.
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