Family of missing Thunder Bay man begin grid searches along Highway 11 in northern Ontario
CBC
The family of a missing man who was hitchhiking from Constance Lake First Nation to Thunder Bay, Ont., has begun conducting highway grid searches near where he was last seen.
Dean Mattinas, 27, was last seen in the early morning hours of March 18 in Constance Lake. His family told CBC News that he left an elder's house around 5 a.m.
There were two confirmed sightings of him that day, about six kilometres from Calstock junction, but no further sightings have been confirmed since, said Mattinas' cousin Robyn Bunting.
Thunder Bay is about 500 kilometres southwest of Constance Lake, which is roughly a five-and-a-half-hour drive along Highway 11 to Highway 17.
Mattinas is described as five feet 10 inches tall with an athletic build, black hair, brown eyes and a thin moustache with slight sideburns.
He was last seen wearing a camouflage jacket, blue jeans, brown boots and had a black Under Armour backpack.
Both the Nishnawbe Aski Police Service (NAPS) and OPP North East Region are involved in the ongoing investigation, a NAPS spokesperson told CBC News.
Anyone with information about Mattinas' whereabouts is asked to contact the NAPS Constance Lake detachment at 705-463-1048.
They can also contact the OPP at 1-888-310-1122, or submit tips anonymously through Crime Stoppers.
Mattinas was trying to get to Thunder Bay by March 20, when he was supposed to attend a meeting before flying up to Sandy Lake First Nation for work. He lives in Thunder Bay and typically works in two-week stints, Bunting explained.
Dean Mattinas Sr., his father, told CBC News he messaged his son on Facebook on March 27 to check in with him, but the message was not delivered. The family began alerting friends and relatives, and reported him missing to police on March 29.
Mattinas is a member of Whitesand First Nation, but his father and much of his family are from Constance Lake. Mattinas Sr. says his son is outgoing and a hard worker, and is close with his family.
The family conducted a ground search in Thunder Bay the weekend of March 30 and handed out flyers, and then returned to Constance Lake to search there.
"Ever since I got back from Thunder Bay, I've been out there every day trying to look for something small, because it's been three weeks now. It's too long," Mattinas Sr. said.
