Nice that the family finally gets closure, although some tightwads on this discussion board probably think they spent too much timed and money identifying the body.

Big difference between re testing a sample found in 1989 with modern methods and searching a 25 square mile lake that is over 800 feet deep in places(Francois).

Tightwad logic; if we don’t look for a body, we won’t have to identify it!

Simply being pragmatic.

How about changing it up a bit. Tell the guy that is going to test the DNA sample that the test tube is somewhere in the office building where he works and nobody is quite sure where…. and the lights are not working on the lower floors…and there is a chance that the test tube may get moved.

How much time and energy do you spend looking for this needle in the haystack.

FYI-They do make every effort to identify every body they do find.

lonesome states; “FYI-They do make every effort to identify every body they do find.”

Exactly, which is why they shouldn’t look for a body, that way they won’t have to go through all that effort to identify one… saves us even more money doesn’t it?

Got to love the logic from the tightwad right ;-)

When there is a chance of rescue there are no questions of using helicopter, boats, planes and manpower.

When it becomes clear that it is a recovery answer the question of how much time and energy you would spend to look for a body.

Would you spend $10k? $100k? a million? more?

How would you explain this expenditure to a hospital or school looking for funds?

Would you risk the lives of deep water divers to look for a dead body?

Easy to talk that way when it’s not your loved one at the bottom of a lake.

Well said ballsy.

Exactly ballsy and the reason that the province should step aside when there is no hope of rescue.During the rescue effort the last known whereabouts of the person is extensively searched and if there were anything to find it would be done regardless of the outcome.

If it becomes a clear recovery operation the family will think if only the search lasted one more hour,one more day, one more week, etc the loved one will be found, emotional not rational thinking.

I can’t imagine what it would be like to be in a situation like that. Nice to see you have a clear outlook on how these situations should be handled. Maybe your rational would be a voice of reason for those trying to recover their loved one.

I think lonesome sparrow makes a point that is worthy of discussion without the name calling.

Everyone puts a price on certain things; even those here who disagree with LS. As a society, we ought to place a supremely high value on saving a life, but at what point can society not afford to continue the search for a body when it has been confirmed dead.

It is always easier to insist that ‘others’ spend their money when it benefits you, than it is to spend your own.

Closure is not always knowing ALL the answers, but more usually it is being satisfied with the answers you do have. And that is something you cannot put a price tag on.

My condolences to the Law family, especially Brians sister who sat and spoke with me about his disappearance at a local pub we both worked at.

I have been in that situation and lonesome sparrow is correct there comes a time when the search has to be called off. After a search we had to accept that the body would not be found. The police and search team were fantastic in searching but also making us accept the fact our loved one could not be alive. When the search was called off we understood. Yes, you are right if you want to deluded yourself there is not closure but other lives can not be put into danger and nor can one expect the authorities to keep searching.

I know that rattyboy- but has been noticeably absent since being confronted with reason and logic;)

Lonesome states; “Would you risk the lives of deep water divers to look for dead bodies?”

You do realize the body of Brian Law was located and brought up by ROV (Remote Operated Vehicle), what risk to human life is that?

Good on Ralston & Associates for finding 80 submerged bodies, and counting, for the families of those loved ones. Lonesome, you asked me a question about money and how much should be spent searching for a missing body… $10K, $100K, $1M? For the equipment and manpower to find 80 bodies that governments have given up on finding how much should be paid? Closure for 80 families is worth how much? I say definitely over $1M… but at $12,500 per body that’s too much for tightwad righty’s.

Just imagine, not every family has the money to cover the expenses incurred by Ralston & Associates, so just how many missing bodies COULD be found in “bodies” of water if a government was to fund this type of service? What a “noble” and “valuable” service that would be… but then again what would be “noble” and “valuable” in spending taxpayers dollars to provide closure to over 80 families… right lonesome?

Couple of points and I’m done.

In any rescue operation that the government is involved with they already spend far in excess of the 12.5k.

Quite the leap of faith to say that 80-12.5k searches will recover 80 bodies. What if only 2 or 10 are recovered, what is the real cost per recovery then?

Along with the above here are three other stories that say the body of Mr. Law was pulled from the Fraser River- no mention of ROV anywhere????

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2013/07/26/bc-fraser-river-body.html?cmp=rss

http://www.tricitynews.com/news/217165401.html

http://www.princegeorgecitizen.com/article/20130726/PRINCEGEORGE0101/307269967/-1/princegeorge0101/coroner-identifies-body-as-prince-george-man-who-disappeared-24-years

Ralston and Associates have recovered approximately 80 bodies. The attached article was published in 2010 at that time it states the had recovered over 70 bodies.

The second page of the attached article (top right hand corner) states they use a ROV to recover the bodies.

http://gralston1.home.mindspring.com/V5N3OceanTechnology.pdf

My mistake on stating Mr Law’s body was recovered using ROV it was John Mowat’s body that was found and recovered by the Ralston’s using their ROV at Francois Lake. In fact the majority of bodies Ralston and Associates recover is by using sophisticated sonar and ROV recover… they themselves state that the use of divers is too dangerous!

Good to see a private company providing closure for so many families including the families of two young Langley men who’s bodies they recovered in Nicola Lake just a month before they found John Mowat’s body in Francois Lake.

Too bad this provincial government is too cheap to fund and provide search and rescue services with this type of equipment and training.

But that seems to be the mantra from the right; “go find our own loved ones on your own time and dime… what do you grieving people think we are a “nanny state”?

You see… this tightwad government cannot even be shamed or insulted into action, especially humanitarian action… where is the “business case” for that?

Let me help our tightwad government get started, side sonar equipment saves thousands of man hours searching rivers and lakes for drowning victims, don’t believe me?

http://www.jwfishers.com/nr/nr158.htm