Colten Pratt’s family hopes billboards of missing poster bring answers

A Manitoba family is putting the spotlight on a missing persons case in a big way — on billboards.

Colten Pratt disappeared more than three years ago in Winnipeg. His family hopes the signs will generate tips.

“We had seen a billboard with another person who had been missing and we thought it would be a good idea for us to do that too in order to bring some information forward in regards to my son Colten Pratt,” Lydia Daniels said.

Pratt was last seen on Nov. 6, 2014 in downtown Winnipeg and then a few hours later at a bus shelter on Main Street near Redwood Avenue. Since December, six billboards have gone up around Winnipeg, space donated by Pattison Outdoor. His image is slotted in spots around the city where there isn’t a current paid advertiser.

The Canadian Centre for Child Protection has been working with Pratt’s family since he first went missing and helped secure his image on the billboards.

“We are fairly confident that someone knows something. So obviously outdoor signage is quite a large way to feature information in terms of audience and the number of people that we’re reaching,” Jessica Huzyk, from CCCP said.

Daniels said any information can help break the case.

“There’s days where you feel like your world is unraveling and you feel like things aren’t going the way you want them to go and you do feel like giving up but that’s not a possibility for us, that’s not going to happen. We’ve got to find Colten and bring him home,” she said.

Daniels says there isn’t a day that goes by where she doesn’t think about her son.

“He’s missed, he’s dearly missed and it’s been tough. It doesn’t get easier, it gets harder and harder. It’s a special kind of hell you live through when you have a loved one missing.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "He's missed, he's dearly missed and it's been tough. It doesn't get easier, it gets harder and harder. It's a special kind of hell you live through when you have a loved one missing."

Daniels has created a Facebook page in hopes of putting more attention on her son’s case.

The Winnipeg Police Service said there wasn’t an update in Colten’s case, but Daniels remains hopeful.

“It’s painful. But we’re doing our best to remain hopeful, to remain positive,” she said. “As far as the investigation is going, there’s no indication that any harm has come to my son.”

Anyone with information can contact the Missing Persons Unit at 204-986-6250.