Missing UBC grad Jordan Naterer’s ‘final path’ determined after eight months of searching

Charlotte Alden
author
Published on July 7, 2021
Some of Naterer’s belongings were found on July 4 by volunteers in Manning Park. Courtesy Vancouver Police Department

UBC grad Jordan Naterer’s “final path” was determined by his family and volunteers, his mother announced on Facebook on Wednesday morning.

Naterer went missing in October 2020 after leaving for a hiking trip and not returning home. His car was found at the Frosty Mountain Trailhead, and his hat and glasses were subsequently found on Frosty Peak a couple weeks later.

Some of Naterer’s belongings were found on July 4 by volunteers in Manning Park.

“After accidentally losing the hiking trail in unexpected snow conditions at Frosty Mountain in EC Manning Park, BC, October 2020, Jordan Naterer fought a courageous battle to escape out of treacherous terrain,” his mother Josie Nevenka Naterer wrote in a public Facebook post on Wednesday morning.

“His remarkable distance travelled through drainages under the worst imaginable blizzard conditions was a testament to his super-human effort to survive.”

Volunteers have been searching for Jordan throughout the winter and summer months, even after the Vancouver Police Department (VPD)’s formal investigation had paused.

VPD Spokesperson Constable Tania Visintin said that the VPD is working with the family, the RCMP and Search and Rescue to investigate. She said she had no information on whether Naterer’s body had been found or not.

“This remains an active investigation,” Visintin wrote in an email to The Ubyssey.

UBC President Santa Ono tweeted Wednesday afternoon that he would be “forever proud” that Naterer graduated from UBC.

“I had the pleasure of meeting Jordan and know many members of the UBC community who were his friends,” he tweeted.

Naterer graduated from Memorial University’s engineering program and earned his master’s degree in electrical engineering at UBC.

“Jordan was a dear son, brother, grandson, proud Newfoundlander, and called Vancouver his new home. He was a brilliant young talented man with an enormous heart and loved life and his family,” his mother wrote.

This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.