A Family Vanished: The Chilling Disappearance of the Jack Family
In August 1989, 26-year-old Ronnie Jack, his wife Doreen, and their two young sons vanished after Ronnie accepted a job offer from a mysterious stranger
On the night of August 1, 1989, 26-year-old Ronnie Jack was at the First Litre Pub near his home in Prince George, British Columbia, when he met a man who offered him what sounded like an incredible opportunity.
At the time, Ronnie had lost his job at a sawmill due to a back injury, which strained his family’s finances. Ronnie, his wife Doreen, and their two sons were surviving on welfare checks. So, when the stranger offered Ronnie a short-term job at a logging camp near Cluculz Lake, about 40km west of Prince George, it sounded like a lifeline.
When Ronne informed the man that he also had a wife and two young children, the man told him there would be a role for Doreen too - she would work in the kitchen as the cook’s helper, and best of all, the camp also had daycare for their two young children, Russell, who was 9, and Ryan, who was 4.
The only problem was that the Jack family did not own a car; however, the mysterious man also offered to drive them to the camp, but they would need to leave that very night. The man was later described as a white male between 35 and 40 years old, around 6ft to 6ft 6” tall, and 200-275lbs, with reddish-brown hair and a full beard; the man wore a baseball cap, a red checkered shirt, faded blue jeans, and distinctive work boots that had leather fringes over the toe area.
Excited by this new opportunity, Ronnie rushed home to his wife and told her all about it. Shortly after 11:00 p.m., he called his brother and told him about his new job. Ronnie later called his mother and told her about it as well. He informed his mother that they would be gone for about 10 days and would be back in plenty of time for the start of Russell’s school in September.
Ronnie’s phone call to his mother would be the last confirmed contact anyone had with the Jack family.
The Jack Family
Ronnie and Doreen Jack met and began dating while in high school. Doreen later moved in with Ronnie’s family in Southbank. Ronnie’s mother, Mabel, described her son and Doreen as a happy couple. Doreen had a difficult childhood and was estranged from her mother, but she had support from Mabel, who described Doreen as nice, kind, and helpful.
The Jack family was part of the Indigenous Community and were members of the Cheslatta Carrier Nation, a First Nation located near Burns Lake, British Columbia. During the 1980s, the family had relocated to Prince George, hoping to find better work and a better living situation.
Ronnie and Doreen were raising their two young boys, Russell and Ryan, in a rented home on Strathcona Avenue in Prince George. By the late 1980s, the family's living situation was in dire straits due to Ronnie's back injury, as it severely limited his ability to find and hold down regular work.
Disappearance
Local reports at the time portrayed Ronnie and Doreen as a “Young couple doing their best in a period of economic difficulty,” and their decision to take a chance on a job that would help them immensely was probably a lifeline they had longed for - even if it was offered to them by a stranger.
The last sighting of the family was witnessed by neighbors as Ronnie, Doreen, Russell, and Ryan climbed into a dark coloured pickup truck in the early hours of August 2, 1989, with a handful of their belongings.
After that, they were never heard from again.
Two weeks after the Jack family left home, family members had still not heard from them. Ronnie’s family became concerned, and on August 25, 1989, they reported the Jacks as missing. Authorities and family members searched the home, and they found that most of the family’s belongings were still there, including their children's school records.
At first, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) believed that the Jack family may have decided to relocate. However, both Ronnie and Doreen’s family members insisted that they would not just move without telling anyone. Also, the state of the family’s home suggested that they had only intended to be away temporarily.
On September 7, 1989, the RCMP mistakenly announced that the family had been found, but this was entirely false. This grave error caused the case to be closed for a period of time before the search was resumed - it is unclear why the RCMP incorrectly determined that the family was found “safe and sound.”
The search for the Jack family dragged on for years, and despite numerous searches and interviews, no evidence was ever found.
Then, on January 28, 1996, a man called the police and left a brief, 10-second muffled message: “The Jack family are buried in the south end of [inaudible] ranch.” The caller hung up before dispatch could ask any questions. Investigators published several appeals in local newspapers, urging the caller to call back, even threatening to release the recording of the man's voice, but the individual never called back.
In March of 1996, the voice recording was analyzed, and it seemed that the call originated from Stoney Creek, British Columbia. The police traced the call to a property in Vanderhoof and confirmed that a house party was underway at the time. Although the authorities deemed this tip credible, the ranch in question has never been located, and the caller has never been identified.
Current Status
The case remains open and active, and the RCMP’s Serious Crimes Unit continues to review tips and encourages assistance from the public. The most recent police search for the Jack family took place in 2019 on the Saik’uz First Nation Reserve, south of Vanderhoof. Investigators used ground-penetrating radar; however, nothing was found.
Authorities and those who follow the case agree that the mystery of what happened to the Jack family lies with the unidentified man who Ronnie met in the pub that August night in 1989. Most believe that the logging camp the man described likely did not exist, and that it was a disturbing lie to lure a desperate man and his family to their deaths.
In 2020, non-profit groups, such as Unidentified Human Remains Canada, released age-progressed photos depicting what the family may look like today. The human toll of this case can’t be overlooked; Marleen, Doreen’s sister, and Mabel, Ronnie’s mother, have spent decades trying to keep the case alive in the hope of finding their family and finally getting some sort of closure.
In 2024, the family organized a community-led search within the Willow River area, situated east of Prince George. Family and supporters also held a vigil at Strathcona Park, with over 120 people attending, hoping to keep the case at the forefront of people’s minds and calling on anyone with information to come forward.
Sources:
Jack, Mabel, Reay, Kerrie, Hendrickson, Caitlin, “National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls”, Sept 26, 2017, https://www.mmiwg-ffada.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/20170926_MMIWG_Smithers_M._Jack_Statement_Vol_9_Public-15.pdf
Neumann, Sean, “An Entire Family Vanished After Mother and Father Were Offered Jobs. What Happened to the Jack Family?”, February 16, 2025 https://people.com/jack-family-missing-meeting-stranger-offered-odd-jobs-11679595
LeRoy, K.C., “Smoke on the Asphalt”, Jun 5 2023, https://www.evaporatethemissing.com/missing-persons/smoke-on-the-asphalt
M,Serena, “MISSING: The Jack Family” June 5, 2020, updated August 23, 2020 https://www.canadaunsolved.com/cases/missing-jack-family-1989-bc
Nielsen, Mark, “Mystery remains around disappearance of Jack family”, Sep 10, 2019 https://www.princegeorgecitizen.com/local-news/mystery-remains-around-disappearance-of-jack-family-3737801
This is both so sad and so frustrating. I think I believe the anonymous phone call regarding the burial at the unidentified ranch - it would be rather a stretch to believe anyone would call the police and say it. Tragic.
Very tragic! It certainly sounds like they were tricked in the worst way possible.