The sister of a missing pilot whose plane wreck was recently found is putting together a support network for the families of missing people.
Tammy Neron’s brother, Alberta pilot Dominic Neron, and his girlfriend Ashley Bourgeault were flying from Penticton to Edmonton when their plane went missing in November 2017.
The official search and rescue efforts were called off in December, nine days after the couple went missing, Neron told the CBC. After that, continued search efforts were left up to her family.
The plane was finally found on Sept. 10 when a B.C. ambulance service helicopter crew reported seeing the wreckage in a remote area outside of Revelstoke.
Neron and Bourgeault are presumed dead.
Dominic Neron and Ashley Bourgeault were on a small plane that went missing in B.C. on Nov. 25, Neron’s family says. (Tammy Neron)
An easier way
Now, Tammy Neron is working closely with the stepmother of another missing pilot, trying to access any resources they have not yet used in the search. Alex Simons and girlfriend Sydney Robillard were in an aircraft that disappeared between Cranbrook and Kamloops in June 2017.
“This sparked the idea … why isn’t there a [network] we can go to with everything we need listed?”
This week, Neron began the process of creating one. She told Walker that the network could help with missing hikers and skiers as well.
Neron says the group will be functioning within the next month as a basic Facebook group and will soon have an official website.
“We feel that, from our experience, we could make this a little less difficult for other families that are going through the same thing,” Neron told Daybreak South host Chris Walker. “Because it is devastating, and you get that sense of hopelessness, but you can’t give up.”
Casting a wide net
After the official search for her brother was called off, Neron contacted the Revelstoke Climbing Association and the local community Facebook page, among many other Revelstoke groups. Anyone who could keep the search for the couple alive.
“It is super overwhelming when you look at all the routes you need to take. I feel honestly that everyone is an asset.”
Neron is hoping the aviation community will be a key player in the network’s search efforts.
“We want it to be accessible to anyone who is missing someone, so that they can reach out to pilots that travel those routes often … help eliminate areas.”
Dominic Neron, and his girlfriend, Ashley Bourgeault, were last seen on Nov. 25, 2017 leaving Penticton, B.C., in this single-engine 1963 Mooney M20D aircraft. (Tammy Neron)
Neron says that the network could use the help of people on foot and in quads. As well as people who can use their computers to search through drone photos, those that have cell mapping knowledge and knowledge on cell towers.
Wings of Mercy, an organization of drone pilots across North America who volunteer to fly drones in search areas, will be a part of the network.
Neron is also hoping to partner with Victim Services, offering emotional support to families once official searches are called off.
Listen to the full interview:
With files from Daybreak South