With
no evidence of a crime, the mystery of a missing Alberta teen remains unsolved.
By
M.J. Preston
August
6, 2017
Vegreville,
Alberta
James Nestor Candy |
Sometime during the night, 17-year-old
James Nestor Candy climbed from his bedroom window and
vanished. According to Canadasmissing.ca,
31,387 people went missing in 2018, and many of those were young people. Missing
persons can be attributed to everything from parental abduction to a kid that
has just wandered off. Often these kids can be tracked to cities, but the vast
numbers coupled to limited resources make it an overwhelming task for police
and families. The fact is that if your teenage kid runs away and they really
don’t want to be found, locating them can prove very problematic. Drawing that
conclusion, an outsider might say, “Just another runaway. They’ll turn up in
Vancouver or Toronto.” After all, young people run away from home for a myriad
of reasons.
So, when James Candy’s father, Colin Candy, found his son’s window open on that morning, he wasn’t immediately alarmed.
So, when James Candy’s father, Colin Candy, found his son’s window open on that morning, he wasn’t immediately alarmed.
But as the morning unfolded and
clues to James disappearance began to come to light, a search for this missing
teenager was conducted by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, volunteers, and
family. On that morning when Colin found his son’s room empty, he first noticed
that the window was open and living in the country, the room was full of mosquitos.
James was the youngest child in
a blended family of a boy raised in a family with six siblings. Colin and Karen
both had three kids from previous marriages. On Colin’s side, Crystal, David,
and Brian, on Karen’s, Mellissa, Heather, and Apryl. They had James after they
married. After losing their home during
the economic downturn, the family relocated to the Vegreville countryside.
James embraced country living, and according to his parents, loved the cowboy
life. His chores included feeding and caring for the horses which he treasured,
and he did so without complaint. James rarely, if at all complained about doing
chores, he cut the grass with being asked.
Like most, the Candy family was not
immune to tragedy. James’s older brother, David, died as a result of
ohol
abuse. The family had suffered a devastating loss, and according to both Colin
and Karen, this took a toll on James as he and David were very close. Also,
being a small kid, James was bullied in school, trying to cope with the angst
of being a teenager and finding his way.
Pictured left, James enjoying the rodeo life. |
On the evening before James
disappeared, he and his friend, Austin, were set to go out for the night when
Karen noticed something in James pocket. When she pushed him on it, she
discovered a small amount of marijuana, so he was not allowed to go out, and Austin
went home. They sat down and talked about the marijuana. Colin and Karen were
concerned, having lost a son to substance abuse, and if he, James, wanted to
pursue a career in the rodeo, he would be subject to drug testing. According to
Colin, “We had a discussion, we sat down and talked about it. We don’t argue in
our house; we talk.” Colin explained his
concerns to his son, and James said smoking weed helped him deal with some of
the pressures related to school. Colin had noted that James marks had come up
considerably. He was still dealing with bullying in school, and they also found
out that he had developed an affection for a girl who did not reciprocate.
These issues were weighing heavy on James, and he claimed to be self-medicating
with the weed. Colin and Karen were firm that they didn’t want drugs in the
house, even marijuana. Karen believes
that in telling their son that they were disappointed in him, “that might have
been the straw that broke the camel’s back.” After the discussion, Colin and James talked
about the next day’s chores and before bed that evening, Colin told his son
that he “loved him” and James returned an “I love you” and then they retired to
bed.
Those would be the last words
that Colin Candy and James shared.
What Colin initially found that
morning didn’t seem that out of the ordinary, except for an open window and an
empty room. Given their discussions ending with the words “love you.” So, this
rose no real alarm, leaving Colin thinking that James was probably outside in
the early morning, tending to the animals and would be back. Colin checked the
house and set out onto the property looking for his son, but found nothing. He
checked the buildings and the land and was fruitless. Now, concern began to
bloom, so he went back to his son’s room to search for more clues.
When Colin returned to the room,
he found a piece of paper on James’s desk with a pen sitting on top of it, when
he started to read it, he panicked. It was a suicide note; he gave the letter
to Karen and immediately went back out to look for his son. Colin went to the
barn, and all the outbuildings horrified of what he might find. After
doublechecking everything, he returned to James’s room and noted that the
lariat rope was gone, and he had left his wallet, his learners license, and ATM
card behind. It was at this point that both Colin and Karen placed a call to
the RCMP who took the issue very seriously.
In the note, James talked of the
pressures he faced, how he missed his brother, his broken heart, and how he was
distressed about disappointing his parents. A massive search of the surrounding
area was conducted by the RCMP and volunteers. Ground searches yielded no signs
of James and before long days turned into weeks.
James Nestor Candy was missing,
but over time, the searches were scaled back and what little media attention
that shone on the case faded. Missing person podcasts have tried to help,
including THE VANISHED hosted by Amanda Colman, who outlines
the situation thoroughly. But for the most part, the national media outlets
like CBC have largely ignored the case.
Before
writing this, I contacted Colin and asked him if he submitted his story to the
CBC Podcast, SOMEBODY KNOWS SOMETHING, and he said that without clear evidence
of a crime they won't touch it. Resources from the police, whom Colin commends
as “doing a great job” also began to be reallocated to other cases. There were
sightings, which is typical in missing person cases, and Colin was vigilant
about checking and maintaining James’s
Facebook page. Hoping that keeping it out there will bring their son home.
December 19th, 2017
A message appeared on James
Facebook and messenger, from an individual identifying himself as, Mike Barley,
in which he left a message, “James if
your still out there I hope you answer this or I’ll be waiting at your front
door til your parents go missing too.”
Colin was concerned.
Was this a valid threat? Could
this Mike Barley know of James whereabouts? Or was this just an internet troll
looking for a cheap thrill at the cruel expense of a family desperate to find
their son? Colin immediately called the police, who told him to try and
initiate a conversation, but the individual never responded.
There has been no social media
activity and banking transactions to indicate that James is out there, but his
disappearance the breeds speculation. If James had set out with his lariat rope
intent on harming himself, surely evidence would have turned up to support
that. But there has been no physical evidence. If James is simply a runaway, he
could be anywhere in the country by now. This presents a further challenge, lacking
the interest of larger news media outlets like the Canadian Broadcasting
Corporation because this story is but one in thousands of missing Canadian
youths.
Tragically, neither Colin or
Karen Candy know what has become of their son, but Colin keeps searching, when
he’s on the road driving truck, he puts up Missing Posters of his son and when
home, he’s out on horseback checking large caches of property. Looking for
something that will lead to finding their son.
James Candy has vanished, while
his parents and siblings agonize over not knowing. In speaking with Colin, I
noted that he mentioned “no sign and no remains,” and one can only wonder how
painful it is for a parent to say those words aloud. To acknowledge that their
missing child might be deceased.
Left to right Colin Candy Karen Candy and their son James. |
They keep searching, without
closure or explanation and ignored by a media more interested in stories that
will bring sponsors. More sensational stories, but a family suffers that unintended
indifference. Not knowing. They have only hope that their son will surface and cling
to that because they have little else to go on. They have not given up on
James, they want him back in the fold of their family while understanding that
time is not a friend, but a forgetful foe. While they are sequestered to a
foreseeable future of grief without closure, James will become another
statistic among many missing teens.
I’ll
close by confiding, that I know Colin Candy. We worked together for several
years at a company here in Alberta. While Colin and I didn’t hang together,
outside work, I still got to know him. The company we worked for, which will
remain nameless, employed many ‘away people’ from places like Newfoundland,
Nova Scotia, and even British Columbia. Economic refugees who have set out from
a depressed economy in their home province to the welcoming arms of this
province. There was a real family atmosphere in that company, and we got to
know a lot about each other. What I remember about Colin were the difficulties
he and his wife faced during the economic downturn. I also knew he was an
upstanding member of his community, working as a volunteer firefighter in Two
Hills, Alberta. And I was there when news broke about the death of his son,
David. We all felt it, one of our own had suffered a tragedy. And that is why I
am penning this. Because, when James went missing, we all shared and often thought
about the anguish that Colin and Karen are suffering. To the public, he might
be just another missing kid, but perhaps we should all pause and think, we are
not invulnerable to a similar tragedy.
It has now been over two years
since James Nestor Candy disappeared.
The search for the Candy’s, friends,
and family will continue.
If you see James or have
information about his disappearance, please contact: 6820
Highway 16A W
Vegreville AB T9C 0A7 Telephone: 780-632-2155
Vegreville AB T9C 0A7 Telephone: 780-632-2155
You can also learn more about this
story by visiting FIND JAMES CANDY at: