CHETWYND -- There are renewed calls to relaunch the search for James 'Jim' Barnes and his dog Murphy, who remain missing after a hunting trip in the Chetwynd area.
An 'iPetitions' created on November 27, 2024, has already collected over 1,000 signatures.
It looks to garner support from the public to demand that RCMP, rescue teams, and MLAs increase funding and resources to continue the search.
“We, the members of the public, recognize the demand for urgent action to bring these two home alive.,” reads the petition’s description, that also asks for search perimeters to be expanded.
The call for action follows the discovery of Sam Benastick, who went missing around the same time as Barnes, was found alive Tuesday.
Barnes was reported missing to Fort St. John RCMP on October 18 after failing to return from a hunting trip in the Groundbirch area.
Since then, Barnes’s 2004 Chevrolet pickup truck was found on Ground Birch Road, off 269 Road, with his keys, wallet, backpack, and other valuables inside, along with his rifle.
Barnes is described as a 28-year-old Caucasian man, standing six-feet tall, weighing approximately 200 pounds. He has brown hair and a mustache and was last seen wearing a 'TC Energy' ball cap, jeans, and a green or blue hoodie.
Anyone with information on his whereabouts is being asked to contact Chetwynd RCMP.
