He Vanished From The Ranch He Managed, And His Horse Was Later Found Wandering Down A Road In The Wilderness Without Him

On January 26, 2019, 31-year-old Ben Tyner vanished from the ranch he managed near Merritt, British Columbia, Canada. About a day later, Ben's horse, Gunny, was found wandering down a road in the wilderness approximately 15 miles away from the ranch.

One of the horse's reins was broken, and she seemed very nervous, although she had no injuries. Ben hadn't told anyone that he was leaving, and he even left his beloved dog, Sioux, behind, which was very out of character for him. He also did not take his wallet or cell phone.

Multiple extensive searches were conducted, but no one was able to find any trace of him. Two years later, authorities announced that Ben may have been murdered. However, no suspects were named.

Ben Tyner was born on August 25, 1987, in Florida. He was the oldest of two sons. His family moved to Wyoming and started their own cattle farm.

Ever since he was young, Ben has enjoyed working on the ranch. According to his father, Ben was an excellent cowboy, an avid reader, and had a love for the outdoors.

Jack, Ben's younger brother, described him as an honest man with a "pure soul." He was not the type to involve himself in any trouble and always helped people out.

Ben attended Tarleton State University in Texas. He studied animal production and was on the school's ranch horse team. After university, he traveled to Idaho, Nevada, Montana, Canada, Mexico, and Russia, working on ranches.

He became the manager of Nicola Ranch near Merritt, British Columbia, in November 2018. All was well until January 2019. No one realized he was missing at first until an experienced hunter named Kim Robinson found his horse.

Robinson came across Gunny the horse at around 5:30 a.m. on a logging road about 15 miles away from the ranch. It took him about 20 minutes to retrieve Gunny because she was really jumpy. Robinson noticed that there were no other tracks around the site, except for Gunny's and his own.

Terri Cage - stock.adobe.com - illustrative purposes only, not the actual person

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None of the details were adding up. Investigators and volunteers combed the area for Ben, but he was never found. The search was eventually called off due to bad weather. Several more searches were carried out later but yielded no findings.

In 2021, the authorities revealed that Ben's disappearance was likely the result of foul play. They believe he is the victim of homicide.

Soon, a source claimed that Ben's cell phone had appeared at a business in Merritt. Investigators tracked down the phone and found it in the possession of a teenage boy working in the shop. The teenager explained that he had purchased the phone from someone else.

Ben Tyner is still missing, and investigators are currently working on his case. His family has offered a $15,000 reward for any information about Ben or his disappearance.

"Our son loved life and touched so many people during his life. If you have any information that can lead us to finding him, no matter how insignificant it might seem, we would be so truly grateful," stated Ben's mother, Jennifer Tyner.

If you have any information regarding Ben Tyner's disappearance, you can call the Merritt RCMP at (250) 378-4262.