In one of the saddest imaginable court filings, a mother has asked to take over her son’s affairs because she believes he’s been murdered.
Kevin Valentyne went missing Jan. 7, and now his mother Vanessa has asked B.C. Supreme Court to appoint her curator of his property after hiring a private investigator to search for her missing son.
“The petitioner (Vanessa) retained the services of a private investigator, Jim Westman, to investigate the circumstances surrounding Kevin’s disappearance,” reads the writ, filed in Vancouver April 18. “Mr. Westman has been advised by members of the Vancouver Police Department that they believe Kevin was the victim of foul play (murdered).”
In the writ, the woman asks to be appointed curator “for the purposes of managing, preserving, dealing with or disposing of any or all of his property.”
Vancouver Police issued a missing-persons report about Kevin on Jan. 17, detailing how the 24-year-old was last seen shortly before 2 p.m. on Jan. 7 getting out of his 2008 grey Acura MDX in the area of North Templeton and Oxford Street in Vancouver.
Described as five-foot-10 with a stocky build and short black hair, Kevin has a tattoo of a tiger on his right upper arm and a large scar on his right side of his face.
The private investigator filed an affidavit in relation to the petition, outlining his conclusions.
In it, Westman, a former RCMP officer, stated that he had been advised by “various members” of the Vancouver Police Department that they “are treating Mr. Valentyne’s disappearance as a homicide investigation.”
A Vancouver Police spokesman said Monday Kevin is still considered missing. The spokesman said he had no knowledge of the allegation contained in the writ about police telling Westman that Kevin was the victim of foul play.
The private investigator went on to detail Valentyne’s last moments: he was reportedly in a car with his girlfriend and another friend just before he disappeared. He parked and got out to deliver a sample of drugs to a new client at an apartment near Dundas and Templeton Streets, leaving his wallet, cellphone and keys in the car. He did not return.
Westman also reported that his research revealed Valentyne was an drug dealer who dealt narcotics at the “kilo level” and who was “aggressively trying to grow his territory.”
The investigator stated that while he heard from sources that Valentyne was not a known gang member, he did appear to associate with some criminal groups, as a photo in his home showing him posting with known UN gang members attested.
Cousin Missy emailed The Province to tell of her deep love for Kevin.
“We are still hopeful that we will be able to find Kevin,” wrote Missy. “I am Kevin’s cousin and this Christmas he came down to Montreal to see his family and our latest addition, my daughter, Amanda.
“Kevin had bought her tiny pink converse high-tops studded with rhinestones, he looked so proud of himself holding her in his lap. The next day, he brought her another present, a Christmas outfit, and when I told him he had already given her a gift, he simply replied, ‘so?’ as though spoiling her was very much his right.
“My favourite visit was the time he flew in to surprise me at my engagement party, it was such a surprise and he hugged me so hard. Having my baby cousin fly in to see us was one of the best surprises I could ask for.
“I miss him every day and keep hoping that he will just show up, to surprise me again and that this whole terrible experience was just a really bad joke.”
The writ lays out precisely why Vanessa Valentyne believes her son is missing permanently.
Kevin’s wallet containing his driver’s licence and bank and credit cards was found, along with his car keys and cellphone. No Visa card activity has been reported since and those closest to him — his mother, two brothers, and girlfriend — have yet to hear from him.
Kevin is listed as the registered owner of a Seymour Street condo with a 2013 assessed value of $345,000.
A man with the name Kevin Valentyne was charged in North Vancouver in March 2009 with possession for the purpose of trafficking and possession of a weapon for dangerous purposes.
Anyone with information on Kevin’s whereabouts is asked to call the Vancouver Police Missing Persons Unit at 604-717-2530.
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