Family of missing man starts ‘neck tie awareness campaign’

WINNIPEG — The family of a missing Manitoba man is shining a spotlight on his case with a twist on a local awareness campaign.

Lydia Daniels, the mother of 26-year-old Colten Pratt who was last seen in Winnipeg over a year ago, is tying neckties to bridges and objects around the city.

READ MORE: Police ask public for help as one year anniversary of Colten Pratt’s disappearance approaches

“We’re putting up ties to remember and bring awareness to my son Colten Pratt’s case who went missing here in Winnipeg,” she said.

She got the idea from the Red Cloth Ribbon Campaign that is connected to missing and murdered indigenous women.

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Daniels and her family are hoping that the Men’s Neck Tie Awareness Campaign will remind people of her son and other cases of missing indigenous men.

“These ties also represent the hope and the faith we have in bringing our men home, our young men, and bringing them back to the communities,” she said.

“We as a family want to do something positive to help heal our hearts and mend our broken spirits so this makes us feel good,” continued Daniels.

Colten Pratt was 26-years-old when he was last seen on November 6 2014 in downtown Winnipeg.

Police released more information a year later, saying he may have been seen at a bus shelter in the early morning hours of November 7, although that was never confirmed.

Any campaign that stirs talks around Pratt’s disappearance is a good thing at this stage in the investigation, said Winnipeg Police constable Jason Michalyshen.

“Those conversations will generate more information for our investigation because there’s no question that time and time again, the information that’s brought forward from the public assists us a great deal,” he said.