The Disappearance of Ryan Shtuka

On February 17, 2018, 20-year-old Ryan Shtuka vanished from Sun Peaks Resort in British Columbia after leaving a house party for what should have been a short walk back to staff housing. The distance was less than 1,000 feet. In normal conditions, it should have taken 10 to 15 minutes.

Ryan never arrived.

No body has been found. No clothing. No phone. No confirmed trail. No final piece of evidence that explains how a young, athletic resort worker could disappear in a compact ski village surrounded by snow, forest, roads, and people.

Ryan had come to Sun Peaks from Beaumont, Alberta, in December 2017 with his childhood best friend. Like many seasonal workers, he was there for the winter: to work, snowboard, meet people, and enjoy a brief chapter of freedom before figuring out what came next. He worked in the lift department and was also reported to have worked at the resort’s tube park. Snowboarding was a major part of his life at Sun Peaks. In the weeks before he disappeared, Ryan had snowboarded 36 consecutive days and had recently landed his first backflip.

He was described by those who knew him as genuine, funny, athletic, loyal, and well-liked. His family has said he was close to home, close to his friends, and not someone who took unnecessary risks. He was cautious around new people but warm once comfortable. He had no known enemies, no reported medical issues, and no known reason to walk away from his life.

A Night Out at Sun Peaks

Friday, February 16, 2018, began like a normal day. Ryan worked his shift and clocked out around 7:00 p.m. He returned to the cabin he shared with roommates, showered, and got ready for a night out.

That evening, Ryan and his friends went into the village. They stopped at Masa’s Bar + Grill, then went to Bottoms for a silent disco event. Later, the group heard about a house party on Burfield Drive and decided to go.

The party was not described as wild or chaotic. It was reportedly a relatively small gathering of mostly resort employees and regulars, with fewer than 50 people in attendance. The house was only a few minutes from Ryan’s cabin.

Sometime in the early morning hours of February 17, Ryan’s friends began preparing to leave. Around 1:30 a.m., roommate Chris Feeney, Feeney’s girlfriend Kristen Lacko, and another friend decided to head home. Ryan was seen standing up, appearing to put on his shoes and blue coat as though he might be leaving too.

That moment became the last confirmed sighting of Ryan Shtuka.

The commonly cited time is around 2:10 a.m., but later information complicated the timeline. A text message from someone at the party suggested Ryan may have left closer to 1:40 a.m. No one remembers seeing him actually walk out the door, and people who arrived shortly afterward did not recall seeing him still at the party.

The Short Walk That Became a Mystery

Ryan’s cabin was roughly 300 meters away, less than 1,000 feet. On a map, it looks simple. In daylight and decent weather, it should have been an easy walk for someone who had been living there for more than two months.

But Sun Peaks in February is not a normal residential neighborhood.

The resort sits in a high mountain valley northeast of Kamloops, surrounded by steep terrain, dense subalpine forest, ski runs, snowbanks, buried paths, and frozen creeks. The village road network is compact but branching. Burfield Drive curves and connects with other roads, including Fairways Drive and Mountain View Drive. Ski access points and service roads create openings that, in the dark, can look like logical routes.

In winter, snowbanks can reach chest height or higher. Sidewalks disappear. Roads become narrow channels cut through packed snow. Beyond the plowed surface is deep snow, forest, uneven ground, and hidden terrain.

On the night Ryan disappeared, the conditions were severe. Snow was falling heavily. Visibility was poor. Temperatures were near minus 20 degrees Celsius, or about minus 4 degrees Fahrenheit. A storm system had moved over southern British Columbia, bringing fresh snow, gusty winds, and an arctic outbreak. By the next morning, roughly nine inches of new snow had fallen in the previous 24 hours, and avalanche danger inside the ski area boundary was rated Considerable.

Ryan was dressed for a short walk, not a night outside. He was last seen wearing dark jeans, a grey-white shirt, a blue coat, and a burgundy Nor-Wester Athletic Association rugby cap. He had no backpack, no survival gear, and no phone charger. His work boots and ski pass were later found at the cabin, meaning he never made it home to change or prepare for work.

The Morning After

When Ryan’s roommates woke up later that morning, he was not at the cabin. At first, they were not immediately alarmed. It was possible he had stayed somewhere else or gone to work early. But concern grew as the day went on.

Ryan failed to show up for his shift. That was completely out of character. His roommates tried calling and texting him, but there was no response. They realized his work boots and ski card were still at the cabin. They posted in a local Facebook group, contacted people from the party, reviewed whatever security footage they could find, and checked with the hospital.

There was no sign of Ryan.

He was officially reported missing at approximately 8:47 p.m. on Saturday, February 17. Kamloops RCMP responded, and Ryan’s parents, Heather and Scott Shtuka, were contacted in Beaumont, Alberta. Ryan’s mother had texted him that morning, “Good morning, Love Bug,” but the message had not been delivered. Heather and Scott immediately began the nine-hour drive to Sun Peaks.

The Search

The search began quickly and escalated into a massive effort.

Kamloops RCMP brought in search dogs near the party house on Burfield Drive, hoping the dogs could establish a direction of travel. They could not. The trail went cold almost immediately.

Searchers focused on the area around where Ryan was last seen. They used snowmobiles, helicopters, drones with infrared cameras, avalanche probes, shovels, snowshoes, and later excavators. Residents were asked to check vehicles, sheds, garages, outbuildings, unlocked structures, security footage, dash cameras, and trail cameras.

Nothing was found.

No footprints. No clothing. No belongings. No sign that Ryan had gone into the snow. No confirmed evidence that he had left the resort.

The one digital clue came from Ryan’s phone. It pinged around 3:00 a.m. on February 17 somewhere in Sun Peaks. The exact location could not be determined. After that, there was no activity on his phone, social media, or bank accounts.

As weeks turned into months, Ryan’s family took over much of the search effort. Heather and Scott relocated to Sun Peaks, organized volunteers, coordinated searches, increased reward money, and kept Ryan’s story in the public eye. More than 700 volunteers helped over the following months. Searchers returned again and again, through snowmelt, spring, summer, and beyond.

In April 2018, the search shifted after new information suggested Ryan may have left the party earlier than originally believed. Another person reported seeing someone matching Ryan’s description at approximately 1:55 a.m. on Fairways Drive toward Eagle Court, closer to the village core. The family searched that area with helicopters, dogs, excavators, and volunteers. Again, nothing was found.

Theories and Unanswered Questions

The most straightforward theory is exposure or misadventure. Ryan may have become disoriented in the storm, taken a wrong turn, stepped off the road, and succumbed to hypothermia in deep snow or hidden terrain. The conditions were dangerous enough to make that possible: bitter cold, poor visibility, heavy snow, alcohol, branching routes, no sidewalks, and forest only steps from the road.

But the lack of physical evidence complicates that theory. Searchers found no clothing, no phone, no body, no track, and no confirmed location where he left the road.

Another theory is that Ryan was struck by a vehicle in the dark and the driver panicked. But there was no reported damaged vehicle, no blood, no debris, and no evidence of a collision.

Foul play has also been discussed. One man later reported hearing an angry voice in the area that night yelling for someone to get in a car. A retired RCMP investigator who assisted with the search later said he came to suspect homicide after speaking with one of Ryan’s friends. But the RCMP has repeatedly stated there is no evidence that a crime occurred, while also not definitively ruling out foul play.

That is what makes Ryan’s disappearance so difficult. Every theory has gaps. Every possible explanation runs into the same wall: no trace.

Still Missing

Ryan’s disappearance has remained active in the years since. His family has returned to Sun Peaks again and again, holding vigils, organizing Run for Ryan events, working with searchers, raising reward money, and supporting other families of missing loved ones. Heather Shtuka later wrote Missing from Me, a book about Ryan’s disappearance and the family’s search for answers.

As of April 2026, Ryan Shtuka has not been found. His phone, clothing, personal belongings, and remains have never been recovered. His bank accounts and social media have shown no activity since the morning he vanished. The RCMP investigation remains open and active.

A short walk in a ski village became an eight-year mystery. Somewhere between a house party on Burfield Drive, staff housing less than 1,000 feet away, and the snow-covered mountain terrain surrounding Sun Peaks, Ryan Shtuka disappeared.

And despite years of searching, one haunting fact remains unchanged.

No confirmed trace of him has ever been found.