Reward for information on missing B.C. man increased to $30,000

With the first anniversary of Bernard Grempel's disappearance weeks away, his distraught family has increased the reward for information on his whereabouts to $30,000.

With the first anniversary of Bernard Grempel's disappearance weeks away, his distraught family has increased the reward for information on his whereabouts to $30,000.

The 29-year-old, who also goes by Bernie, went missing on May 14, 2021, when data from his transit pass indicates he boarded a 340 bus outside the 22nd Street SkyTrain Station in New Westminster.

That's the route he would normally take to visit his parents – but none of Grempel's loved ones have seen him since, despite numerous false alarms.

"There have been countless sightings," Grempel's sister Ettie Shurack said Friday, explaining that people often think they've found her brother, but have instead spotted someone who looks like him.

"And, on one hand, it's really discouraging. How could so many sightings - over a hundred - how could none of them pan out? But on the other hand, it's encouraging that my brother is still on people's minds and people are searching and hopeful."

The family initially offered $10,000 for help finding Grempel, then $20,000. This week, as they grow increasingly desperate for leads, they upped the reward once more.

"If the reward is what will bring someone to bring information forward, we feel that it's our responsibility to do that," Shurack said.