TERRACE, B.C. – An extensive search is underway involving multiple agencies for a 46-year-old man who went missing in the Skeena River near the community of Usk on Saturday evening.
The man has been identified by police as Thomas Kelly. He was last seen at approximately 6:45 p.m. on July 12 while fishing with family members. According to the RCMP report, he was in the water for several minutes before his family lost sight of him.
Terrace and Kitimat Search and Rescue teams were immediately engaged, and efforts to locate him began Saturday evening. The search has involved ground crews, boats, and a helicopter.
“Efforts to locate Thomas began on Saturday evening… however he has not been located at this time,” Terrace RCMP said in a release this morning.
The search is being conducted in particularly challenging and dangerous conditions. A High Streamflow Advisory issued by the BC River Forecast Centre remains in effect for the Skeena River, with water levels significantly higher and currents faster than usual due to the recent warm weather accelerating snowmelt.
Thomas Kelly is described as an Indigenous man, weighing 170 pounds and standing six feet, two inches tall. He has brown eyes and black hair and was last seen wearing a light blue sweater and grey sweat pants.
The RCMP investigation is ongoing, and they are asking for the public’s help. Anyone with any information on the whereabouts of Thomas Kelly is urged to contact the Terrace RCMP at 250-638-7400.
