Belleville, Ont., family still searching for answers 14 years after father’s disappearance

Mar. 26, 2008 began like most other days for 65-year-old Nortel employee Calvin Vanness.

However, that morning, he left to visit his brother in Arden and never came home.

Days later, his family reported him missing to Belleville Police. Not long after that, his 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix was found abandoned in a carpool lot on Gardiners Road in Kingston.

Fourteen years later the bad dream hasn’t ended for his son Travis and his daughters.

“Dad would take off. He’d hunt and fish and visited people and … lots of family up north. So, for him to go missing for a few days, I wasn’t alarmed,” said Travis.

Following the discovery of the car, the investigation carried on with very few leads.

In 2010, the OPP took over the case, officially deeming it a homicide investigation.

As the years went by, Travis said, the hardest part was tempering his expectations every time he heard of a body being found somewhere in the area.

Bill Dickson, Manager of Media Relations for the OPP, says the investigation is still active.

“The OPP will never close a homicide investigation until we come to some kind of resolution. There is still a $50,000 reward in place from the Government of Ontario,” he said.

In the meantime, Travis continues to appeal for information each year around this time, despite the fact it opens up old wounds.

“We know for a fact there’s people out there with information, please come forward … it’s as simple as that … you know? Let your conscience be your guide,” he said.

Travis says he and his sisters remember their father as a good man who enjoyed hunting and ice fishing, and who loved his family.