On the evening of March 12, 2016, 15-year-old Indigenous youth Denny Ray Poole was last seen walking alone on the Alaska Highway in northeastern British Columbia. He and a friend had set out to walk from Dawson Creek to Fort St. John; the pair reportedly argued near the Kiskatinaw River Bridge about 30 kilometres from Dawson Creek, and Denny continued on alone. His last confirmed sighting was at about 7:10 p.m., walking across the bridge.

At the time he disappeared he was between 5 feet 6 inches and 5 feet 7 inches, about 120 to 130 pounds, with short black hair and brown eyes. He wore a grey hoodie with DC or DGK in red letters, blue jeans, a black flat-brimmed hat, and size 10 Osiris high-top shoes that were purple, green, blue, and black. Dawson Creek RCMP located his friend after a report about two youths needing assistance, but Denny was not found.

RCMP, search-and-rescue teams, police dog services and air support joined community and family-led searches; two weeks without a trace led the family to shift from searching for a missing person to fearing they would have to find a body. The investigation remains active and the family continues to seek any information.

If anyone has information about Denny’s movements that night or remembers seeing him on the Alaska Highway, please come forward.