Manitoba

'It's just a big blank': Helicopter search for Dwayne Lavallee yields no signs of missing man

Friends and family of Dwayne Lavallee have ramped up their search for the missing 21-year-old, hiring a helicopter to fly over the area where he was last seen.

'No mother needs to go through this,' says mother of 21-year-old missing since Sept. 22

Volunteers have been searching for weeks near Ebb and Flow First Nation for any sign of Dwayne Lavallee, with the family even hiring a helicopter to fly over the area. (Bring Dwayne Lavallee Home/Facebook)

Friends and family of Dwayne Lavallee have ramped up their search for the missing 21-year-old, hiring a helicopter to fly over the area where he was last seen.

Dwayne Lavallee was last seen around 2 p.m. on Sept. 22 on Ebb and Flow First Nation. (Submitted by RCMP)

Lavallee was reported last seen on Sept. 22 in the Ebb and Flow First Nation area.

The helicopter was out over the area on Friday, paid for using donations from volunteers, said Kelly Lavallee, Dwayne's mother.

Searchers also used horses this weekend to scour the area, but still couldn't find him, she said.

With her son missing for nearly a month, the search is becoming painful for her and her husband, Kelly said.

Still, searchers haven't given up. They plan to continue to look for Dwayne this week, bringing back the horses to expand their search outside Ebb and Flow First Nation, Kelly said.

"I'm hoping every day we go out there, that today's the day we'll find him," she said.

"It's very sad for myself. When I walk through the bushes.… No mother needs to go through this."

Searchers get ready to head out and comb the forest for any sign of Dwayne Lavallee. (Bring Dwayne Lavallee Home/Facebook)

RCMP haven't given her any updates, and pleas for people to come forward with information haven't yielded much of anything, she said.

"No one seems to know," she said.

"It's just a big blank."

Friends and family of Dwayne Lavallee ask anyone with information about what happened to him to come forward. (Bring Dwayne Lavallee Home/Facebook)

Anyone with information is asked to call Ste. Rose du Lac RCMP at 204-447-2513 or contact Manitoba Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477, submit a secure tip online at www.manitobacrimestoppers.com or text "TIPMAN" plus your message to CRIMES (274637).