It’s been over a year since Jason William McGrath has been heard from, and family members say they’re growing tired of the lack of answers from police.
McGrath went missing on July 9, 2017, after the 32-year-old ventured out into a lake in Cape George, N.S., for a kayaking trip. His kayak, personal flotation device and belongings were discovered two days later.
In the weeks that followed, McGrath’s family issued several calls for information. They released photos from McGrath’s camera, which was found in his kayak, as well as made several other pleas on the Facebook page Searching for Jason McGrath.
The attempts have so far been unsuccessful.
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Kevin McGrath, Jason’s brother, claims the RCMP is “giving him the run-around” when it comes to receiving information pertaining to the investigation.
“From my understanding, the RCMP, they follow leads, that’s what they tell us, but as far as I know, they haven’t had any leads,” McGrath said. “They haven’t contacted us about anything.”
“If I’m not hounding them, then I’m not getting any information.”
McGrath says he and members of his family have conducted their own search along the beach for Jason, for any evidence that could lead to his whereabouts. One of those searches produced a shred of optimism in the form of a pair of boxers.
“We were 100 per cent sure those were his underwear. They were found basically beside where the kayak was found,” McGrath said.
But McGrath says getting the RCMP to follow their self-discovered leads has been a hassle. He called the RCMP following their discovery and requested they conduct another dive in the area.
McGrath says an investigating officer called and asked for the underwear in early July, two months after they were found. He says they also recommended they bring in a drone but also had that idea shut down.
“They did not want to take the drones out for fear of it being damaged.”
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The RCMP disputes those claims, saying they have been in regular contact with the McGrath family since Jason’s disappearance.
Clarke says police dog services and an underwater recovery team were also used during the course of the investigation. She says additional coastline searches were conducted in July and August, but no new information was discovered.
“We conducted a detailed investigation following up on every lead and piece of information we’ve received, and we continue to do that.”
According to Clarke, officers met with the family over the summer to update them on the status of the investigation. But after a year of an investigation that’s yielded more questions than answers, McGrath says now all they hope to receive is new information.
“My father, we would never speak ill of anyone, but since this happened, he doesn’t have much faith,” said McGrath.
“I understand they have protocol and everything, but it seems to hinder things more than it helps.”
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Jason William McGrath is described as white with light brown hair and hazel eyes. He was last seen wearing a black T-shirt and beige shorts.
Anyone with information pertaining to the investigation is asked to contact local RCMP or Crime Stoppers.
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