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On February 17, 2018, at a residence on Burfield Drive in Sun Peaks, British Columbia, Canada. 20-year-old Ryan Shtuka, a worker at Sun Peaks, vanished without a trace.

Ryan's mother, Heather, joins host Tim Conrad, APR, MCPRS, to reflect on what she learned when someone you love goes missing and how to keep the search alive.

Key Topics Covered

• Heather’s emotional opening and the moment everything changed
• The text message that shattered normal life
• Communicating with children during a crisis
• Building and managing a volunteer‑driven search operation
• The role and limits of social media
• Walking the route Ryan may have taken
• How misinformation and cruelty impact families
• Navigating ambiguous loss and long‑term grief
• The Free Bird Project and supporting other families
• Advice for crisis communicators and emergency responders

Notable Quotes

“You have no idea how this story wounds me now.”
“There were five more minutes of bliss before my life collapsed beneath me.”
“We are now working for Ryan, all of us.”
“Misinformation breaks families. It broke me that day.”

Resources & Links

• Find Ryan Shtuka website
• The Free Bird Project – Support, resources, and advocacy for families of missing loved ones
• Find Ryan Shtuka Facebook Group – Community updates and ongoing search efforts
• Butterfly Effect Communications – Crisis communications and public engagement (host’s organization)

About the Guest

Heather Shtuka is the mother of missing 20‑year‑old Ryan Shtuka. Since his disappearance, she has become a powerful advocate for families navigating missing‑person cases, co‑founding The Free Bird Project and speaking widely about communication, resilience, and ambiguous loss.

Visit www.communicationspodcast.com for more detailed show info including photos and videos.