Jason Lee Lovelady, 38, vanished while with his mother and stepfather near the Elbow Lake trailhead in Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest on October 5, 2013. The family was gathering pine cones when Jason walked ahead of them — possibly to relieve himself or look for more cones — carrying a three-gallon white plastic bucket, and never returned.

Family members searched for about four hours before notifying the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office. Volunteers and search teams combed the area through the night and the next day, focusing on terrain bordered by the Nooksack River and Walnick Creek, but found no sign of Jason or the bucket. Detectives say the lack of physical evidence has baffled investigators and that no one in the family is considered a suspect.

The case remains open and investigators have stayed in contact with the family. If anyone was in the Elbow Lake area on October 5, 2013, or remembers seeing someone matching Jason’s description that day, contact the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office with information.