'The biggest cheerleaders': Dedicated group help keep Ryan Shtuka's story alive five years later

Brought together by kindness and heartbreak, a group of women is helping an Alberta mother make sure her missing son is never forgotten.

Brought together by kindness and heartbreak, a group of women is helping an Alberta mother make sure her missing son is never forgotten.

It's been more than four years since Ryan Shtuka went missing, but Heather Shtuka and a community of supporters are keeping his story alive all over the world.

"You always want to have your children or your loved ones to create this legacy of themselves," Heather said. "And Ryan's not able to do that, so in his absence, my husband and I feel honour-bound to sort of continue what he might have done had he been here."

Since her son went missing in Sun Peaks, B.C., on a February night in 2018, Heather has become an advocate for other families who are missing a loved one and she's found a community of people to help.

The Facebook group started after Ryan disappeared has grown to more than 34,000 members, and has evolved beyond a space to post updates and share her thoughts and feelings during the years of searching.

"We share a lot about other missing person cases that may not get the same level of engagement or exposure," Heather said. "And then it goes deeper than that.

"It's a connection between people that see and want happiness for one another and they support one another."