In the summer of 2022, a journey across provinces took an unsettling turn, leaving a family searching for answers. Keith David Zajac, a 55-year-old man from Squamish, British Columbia, embarked on a road trip to Fort Frances, Ontario, with plans to meet his brother and uncle for a fishing trip. On August 1, 2022, his journey brought him to Brandon, Manitoba, where he was last seen.
He had checked into a Super 8 motel in Brandon on July 31st, making contact with his family by phone that day for what would be the last confirmed time. Concerns grew when his family did not hear from him the following day. At the time of his disappearance, Keith was described as being five feet, ten inches tall, weighing approximately 170 to 175 pounds, with short blonde and grey hair, facial hair, and blue eyes.
The days following Keith's last contact were filled with increasing worry and a series of perplexing discoveries. Family members noted that Keith had mentioned feeling unwell before he left British Columbia, a sentiment echoed by motel staff in Brandon who described him as seeming "out of it." There was speculation that he may have been suffering from heatstroke, as he was driving a car without air conditioning during a period of hot weather. On August 3rd, his white Pontiac Vibe was found abandoned on the shoulder of Highway 1, just west of Brandon in the rural municipality of Whitehead. There were no signs of tampering with the vehicle. In the days that followed, several possible sightings were reported on August 1st. These included seeing a man believed to be Keith walking in a wooded area near the Assiniboine River and later seemingly attempting to hitchhike on the Trans-Canada Highway. Further complicating the situation, his phone was turned in to the police on August 5th by individuals who had found it.
The official search for Keith involved extensive efforts from law enforcement and loved ones. The Blue Hills RCMP, along with search and rescue teams and the local fire department, conducted ground searches in the area where his car was discovered. As the search continued, his family organized their own efforts, raising funds to hire a private investigator and teaming up with a volunteer group specializing in underwater search and recovery to check the Assiniboine River after his jacket was reportedly found near the shore. Despite these comprehensive searches by land and water, including the use of drones, no trace of Keith was found. The case remains a distressing mystery, centered on a man who set out for a family reunion and vanished mid-journey. The investigation has been marked by a few puzzling clues—an abandoned car, unconfirmed sightings, and a recovered phone—but has yet to yield any definitive answers regarding his whereabouts or what transpired after he was last seen in Brandon.Last Seen: Aug 1, 2022
