File photo of Marshal Iwaasa (Courtesy the Lethbridge Police Service)

By Justin Goulet

Exhaustive search for Marshal Iwaasa begins

Jun 24, 2020 | 10:04 AM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – A man with ties to Lethbridge remains missing.

Marshal Iwaasa disappeared last November. Thus far, search efforts for the 26-year-old have yielded no results. Last week, Lethbridge Police said plans of an ‘exhaustive search’ for Iwaasa were being finalized.

READ MORE: Plans being finalized for ‘exhaustive search’ in Marshal Iwaasa disappearance

Now, that search has begun. Lethbridge Police will be working alongside RCMP in Pemberton and surrounding detachments to search the remote and mountainous B.C. backcountry terrain where Iwaasa’s burned out vehicle was discovered by hikers in November.

“Iwaasa’s disappearance is considered suspicious, however there is no credible, corroborated or compelling information at this time to suggest foul play or that the matter is criminal in nature,” reads a release from the Lethbridge Police Service (LPS).

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LPS, RCMP, Search and Rescue personnel, an RCMP fire investigator, as well as several private investigators and members of the Canadian Search and Disaster Dogs Association (CSADDA) will conduct a “comprehensive ground search” of the area Wednesday (June 24) and Thursday (June 25).

Members of the Iwaasa family will also be on site, according to Lethbridge Police.

Due to the difficulty of accessing the terrain, a helicopter and all-terrain vehicles will be used to get to the area. To date, there have been many sightings of Iwaasa reported across Canada, often at the same time, according to police.

“Every tip has been followed up and every tip with enough information that could be corroborated has proven not to be Iwaasa,” said Lethbridge Police.

“Throughout the investigation officers have continued to monitor Iwaasa’s personal affairs including potential personal contacts as well as social media, phone, medical and financial activity. Since Iwaasa’s disappearance there have been no footprints of life.”

LPS say no further details are available to be released at this time and once the search has been concluded, an update will be provided.