Help Search & Rescue end 16 year search for Tom!
I started this go fund me account to raise money towards Terrace Search and Rescue Society to cover the costs they will incur to search out the new lead in Tom's missing person case. This has now become urgent as the government will not be funding this search. The team members are still continuing with this search out of pocket, so any funds you can give will help support them. There are no words to express how forever grateful we will be for the support and kindness of the community. Please help us bring Tom home.
16 years ago, in 2005, I lost my husband Tom Leonard. He failed to return home from a solo sheep hunt in Spatsizi Plateau Wilderness Provincial Park. An initial 4 day search was conducted but was not successful and was called off due to bad weather. At that time my young daughters and I had to accept that we lost our husband and father. Our lives were forever changed!
The following year in 2006 I was lucky to have support from wonderful family members, friends and complete strangers (first responders, guide outfitters, conservation officers) who conducted a week long search for Tom unfortunately, nothing was found. We relived 2005 all over again.
Not giving up in 2007 and again in 2008 family members had went to Spatsizi and searched specific areas of the park which again failed to produce any answers.
In 2013 a hunter discovered a camp that met the description of Tom's tent however the hunter did not connect this camp to being Tom's until 2019 when he saw a plea from me on social media. I immediately contacted the RCMP about this camp unfortunately, due to being late in the season they had to wait until the following year to investigate. It broke my heart to tell my daughters we had to wait another year.
In 2020 the RCMP was not able to conduct the search due to the road being washed out to the trail head as well as due to COVID the helicopter was unavailable. I was crushed that again I had to tell the girls that we would have to wait another year.
In 2021 the RCMP had asked BC Parks to investigate this camp however due to staffing shortage they were not able to go. This news devastated the girls and I. After receiving the news of having to wait another year our daughter, Miranda, produced a passionate video that caught the attention of many hunters as well as Terrace Search and Rescue. As several of these members are also fathers, husbands and sheep hunters this video hit home for them. Our prayers were answered when this passionate group reached out to me to offer their services and time to go and search for this camp. This is the first lead into finding my husband and the father of my two daughters. Since getting this lead we have had to wait patiently for 2 years for help to locate this camp. Finally after two years there is hope of finding him!
Please help us bring Tom home.
