Nick and Lisa Masee still missing 20 years after mysterious disappearance
Private investigator believes retired banker and socialite wife may still be alive
It's been 20 years since Nick Masee and his wife, Lisa, went missing, but one private investigator believes they may still be alive after finding a stash of hidden funds.
The retired banker and his socialite wife went missing on Aug. 11, 1994, after going to dinner in downtown Vancouver. Their house and car were left untouched and they haven't been seen or heard from since.
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While police investigated, Masee's son from a previous marriage hired a private investigator, Ozzie Kaban, to find his father.
Kaban says months after the disappearance, he traced a bank account belonging to the Masees in the Cayman Islands, with more than $100,000 in it.
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"As far as I'm concerned, he's alive and living a really good life with money in his pocket," said Kaban. "I hope they're enjoying themselves but I sure as hell would like to know where they are."
Kaban says he believes Masee was running from something and the day before the couple went missing, the former banker had attended a funeral and was distraught, saying he would leave town.
The couple were well known in the Vancouver social circle and had powerful friends and business associates, but police say they had no known enemies.
Police appealing for help
Police say they have not worked directly with Kaban but they have looked into Masee's finances and worked with international police forces to track down the couple, without success.
North Vancouver RCMP Corp. Richard De Jong is appealing to the public for help to track down the high-powered couple.
"Whether it's a conversation, something about them, maybe they talked to them in a small village somewhere, maybe on a beach, maybe just a conversation before they disappeared," said De Jong.
De Jong says the Masee children desperately want answers.
"We are in touch with the son quite regularly. He's perplexed, wondering why," said De Jong.
"This could truly help police solve this mystery and bring closure to the family, the two kids who of course daily wonder where their parents are."
Nick Masee would be 75 years old now, his wife Lisa would be 59. Anyone with information as to their whereabouts is asked to contact Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online at solvecrime.ca.
On mobile? Click here to watch a 1995 archive CBC report on the Masee mystery