Kenley Matheson has been missing since 1992.Supplied
RCMP and forensic experts began searching a steep embankment near Wolfville, N.S., this week in relation to the case of an Acadia University student who disappeared more than 30 years ago.
Kenley Matheson, 20, went missing a few weeks after he started university in September, 1992, and hasn’t been seen or heard from since.
Members of the RCMP’s major crime unit, the medical examiner’s office, St. Thomas University’s anthropology department and Acadia University’s earth and environmental science department are undergoing a three-day search of the site on Melanson Mountain that is expected to wrap up on Friday.
RCMP Corporal Chris Marshall said in a statement that further details regarding findings and next steps will be shared once the site processing is complete.
The wooded area being searched for possible human remains was identified by a cadaver dog search that was commissioned by The Globe and Mail in the spring.
Mr. Matheson’s family has ardently advocated for RCMP to continue investigating his disappearance for years. His case has been the topic of a documentary series titled Missing Kenley. His sister, Kayrene Matheson, recently launched the Bring Kenley Home mission, a walking challenge to raise awareness about the memory of her brother.
During Mr. Matheson’s first two weeks of university, he travelled with friend to Corkums Island in Lunenburg County for the weekend. He returned to Acadia and attended a campus party on Sept. 18, 1992, where he was seen by his sister and others at Crowell Tower on Sept. 20.
Ms. Matheson was last spotted by a friend walking on Main Street in Wolfville the next day, wearing blue jeans, a purple T-shirt, a red and black backpack and a ballcap. He has not been in contact with family or friends and there has been no activity on his bank account since.
RCMP have classified Mr. Matheson as a missing person, though in 2012 his case was added to a provincial reward program for major unsolved crimes that offers up to $150,000 for information leading to an arrest or conviction.