IT has been five years since a 45-year-old Surrey family man went missing after leaving his home to attend to his business in the South Cariboo area of B.C.
Mehay was reported missing by his family on July 15, 2009, after leaving Surrey the previous day and failing to arrive in Clinton, B.C., where he operated a Petro Canada gas station with his brother-in-law.
Mehay was a religious man, a husband and father. He had no health problems, addiction issues or marital problems. He had no criminal affiliations or criminal record and there is no evidence to suggest that he met with foul play.
Mehay drove alone from Surrey to Clinton on an every-other-week basis as he had done for the previous three years. He was driving his grey 2004 Mazda MPV with BC licence 494KVK at the time.
Over the following days, weeks and months RCMP in Surrey, with the assistance of Abbotsford Police, Chilliwack RCMP, Hope RCMP, Boston Bar RCMP, Clinton RCMP and RCMP Air Services launched an extensive investigation by land and air in efforts to locate him and his vehicle.
The investigation confirmed that the last known place Mehay was seen was at Staples Office Supply in Chilliwack around 3 p.m. on July 14, 2009. At that time he appeared (on video surveillance) alone and not in any type of distress. An extensive ground search along the route he would normally take to Clinton was also undertaken by family members, all to no avail.
It is believed Mehay would have traveled from Chilliwack to Clinton via Highway 1 to Cache Creek, then north on Highway 97 to Clinton. This route was searched extensively by air and ground by both police and family members, all without success.
Police are considering all options and have conducted air searches of alternate routes of Highway 12 between Lytton and Lillooet and Highway 99 between Lillooet and the junction with Highway 97.
Mehay is described as a South Asian male, approximately 5’7”, 185 lbs, with short black hair, brown eyes, and a black moustache. He was last known to be wearing a striped green-and-white long-sleeved American Eagle shirt and khaki pants.
The Mehay family and the police are asking that anyone with information regarding his disappearance, no matter how seemingly insignificant, to come forward.
Anyone with more information is asked to please contact the Surrey RCMP at 604-599-0502 and reference Surrey RCMP file number 2009-86044. If you wish to remain anonymous, you can contact CrimeStoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS or go to www.solvecrime.ca.