MISSING: The Chilling Disappearance of Ryan Shtuka
In February 2018, 20-year-old Ryan Shtuka left a house party in Sun Peaks and began the short walk toward home. A route that should have taken just a few minutes. Ryan never made it home. Instead, his final movements remain frozen in time.
Search crews pushed through deep snow and subzero temperatures. Volunteers returned week after week. Helicopters and ground teams covered every direction the terrain allowed. No footprints. No belongings. No confirmed trace. The trail turned cold almost immediately.
Seven years later, the case sits at a standstill — suspended between what is known and what has never surfaced.
Does someone know something… or does nobody know anything at all?
If you have any information about the disappearance of Ryan Shtuka, please call the Kamloops RCMP at 1-250-828-3000, or if you want to remain anonymous, you can call Kamloops Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477, or visit their website.
Episode Source Material
Witness Accounts, Interviews & Statements
Dickson, Courtney. “Sun Peaks Bands Together to Find Missing 20-Year-Old Man.” CBC News. Accessed August 2025.
Joyce, Shelley, and Courtney Dickson. “The Weight of Silence: Ryan Shtuka’s Disappearance Continues to Haunt B.C. Ski Resort.” CBC News. Accessed August 2025.
Klymchuk, Jessica. “UPDATE: #FindRyanShtuka Reward Increased to $15K.” Kamloops Now. Accessed August 2025.
Potestio, Michael. “KSAR Returns to Sun Peaks to Search for Ryan Shtuka.” Kamloops This Week. Accessed August 2025.
Potestio, Michael. “One Year Later, Ryan Shtuka’s Disappearance Remains a Mystery.” Kamloops This Week. Accessed August 2025.
Snowdon, Wallis. “‘I Wish I Knew’: Alberta Mother Desperate to Find Son Missing in Sun Peaks.” CBC News. Accessed August 2025.
Strong, Jean. “A Year Without Answers.” Sun Peaks Independent News. Accessed August 2025.
Strong, Jean. “Family Continues to Search as Snow Melts.” Sun Peaks Independent News. Accessed August 2025.
Strong, Jean. “New Search Location ‘Real Possibility’.” Sun Peaks Independent News. Accessed August 2025.
Strong, Jean. “Search for Shtuka Passes 12 Weeks.” Sun Peaks Independent News. Accessed August 2025.
Strong, Jean. “Shtuka Family Makes Plans to Return Home.” Sun Peaks Independent News. Accessed August 2025.
Strong, Jean. “Third Day of Search for Ryan Shtuka by Family, Friends and RCMP.” Sun Peaks Independent News. Accessed August 2025.
Modern Analyses, News Coverage & Media Reporting
Barde, Joel. “Without a Trace.” Empire Advance. Accessed August 2025.
Brak, Jodi. “Tip on Missing Man Prompts Search of New Areas on B.C. Mountain.” Nanaimo News Bulletin. Accessed August 2025.
Edwards, Karen. “Family of Ryan Shtuka Geared Up for Last Sun Peaks Search of 2019.” InfoNews. Accessed August 2025.
Fredrikson, Nikki. “KSAR Search Extends into Afternoon for Missing Resident.” Sun Peaks Independent News. Accessed August 2025.
Kelly, Alanna. “Desperate to Find Son.” Castanet. Accessed August 2025.
Legassic, Ashley. “New Timeline Leads to Expanded Search Area for Ryan Shtuka.” InfoNews. Accessed August 2025.
Norwell, Jenifer. “Kamloops Search and Rescue End Hunt for Sun Peaks Man.” CBC News. Accessed August 2025.
“Search on for Man Who Vanished After Attending Sun Peaks Party.” Kamloops This Week. Accessed August 2025.
“The Search for Ryan Shtuka.” Peaks and Valleys. Accessed August 2025.
“The Unsolved Disappearance of Ryan Shtuka in Sun Peaks.” Strange Outdoors. Accessed August 2025.
Wickett, Martha. “Search for Ryan Shtuka Goes On.” Salmon Arm Observer. Accessed August 2025.
Books, Documentaries & Podcasts
Books
Shtuka, Heather. Missing From Me. Accessed August 2025.
Shtuka, Heather. Let’s Talk About Dinosaurs. Accessed August 2025.
Documentaries
Peaks and Valleys: The Search for Ryan Shtuka. Short documentary film. Accessed August 2025.
Podcasts
The Missing and Unexplained. “Ryan Shtuka.” Episodes 1–4. Accessed August 2025.
Websites & Online Databases
“MISSING: Ryan Shtuka.” MissingRyanShtuka.com. Accessed August 2025.
