Heather says she and her husband plan on returning at the end of July, although the search for their son will continue in their absence.

“Leaving feels somewhat permanent, even though I know it’s not. It was really hard driving down the hill, I won’t lie. It was really tough,” she says. “But the command (search) centre will still be operational on Saturdays and the search will continue and we do have people that go up every single day during the week and that will continue on.”

Heather Shtuka remains steadfast in her belief that Ryan is still at Sun Peaks and notes “everything else is just speculation on other people’s part.”

“There’s no evidence, there’s no backstory on things that would lead him to be off the hill. I don’t believe that this beautiful community of Sun Peaks has the capacity to have such malicious behaviour in there. Not to say that it couldn’t have happened. It just seems almost as likely I think as an alien abduction.”

She calls the search for Ryan “frustrating and daunting,” noting Ryan could be anywhere on the hill considering they don’t know the direction he was headed when he left the party.

As for how she’s coping, Heather says it helps that her and her husband are “task-oriented.”

“We have plans in place daily and goals that we try to get through,” she says. “But when I stop to that about the potential it is difficult. I don’t think it’s something parents should ever have to contemplate. It feels like too much to bear.”