Search for 83-year-old Coldstream man continues in the water

The search continues for a Coldstream man who went missing from his home earlier this year.

Robert Lee Baines, 83, was last seen on Jan. 2 at a residence on Ponderosa Way in Coldstream and despite an extensive ground search by police and search and rescue, not a single lead was found.

A challenge faced by searchers is that Baines, who was recently diagnosed with dementia, would likely have left with only the clothes on his back, Search and Rescue members said last January. That meant he wasn’t likely to drop items and leave a trail.

Now Baines’s family has hired a team of searchers with specialized sonar equipment to scour Kalamalka Lake, RCMP said.

2:01 Search for missing North Okanagan senior enters day four

“Police are asking people to stay a few hundred metres away from the search area,” said Cpl Tania Finn. “The wake from passing boats causes disturbances with the readings of the sonar that will extend the search efforts.”

The water search is set to commence on Kalamalka Lake on Thursday and will focus on the area around Kalamalka Park from Rattlesnake point to deeper waters.

“This is a private search being conducted by the family and we are just putting out an update for them so other boaters are considerate of their efforts,” RCMP said.

The vessel is equipped with flashing lights and is easily spotted by other boaters.