Adam Payne, 38, has not been seen since August 2023 in the area of Cedar Creek.
“It’s incredibly difficult not knowing what happened or where he is,” sister-in-law Laurie Payne told CTV News.
She reported Adam missing to Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) on Oct. 6, 2023.
Through their investigation, Payne said Adam was last seen at Cedar Creek in August.
“He was seen in a white canoe with a red dinghy, and that was the last that anybody has seen of him,” she said. “They (witnesses) say he went in the ‘crick’ in the canoe and just didn’t come back.”
The OPP said the investigation into Adam’s disappearance remains active and they are following up on any tips they get from the public.
In the meantime, family and friends have organized group searches for Adam on their own.
“If he’s no longer with us, he deserves to be put to rest properly, and if he is gone somewhere we all deserve to know that he’s (sic) okay,” said Laurie.
She admitted that Adam struggled in his life with substance abuse and he was “a little down on his luck” in recent years.
“He was loved. He was cared for,” Laurie said. “We’re committed to finding him in whatever capacity that is, and he deserves that right? Nobody deserves to just be left and not looked for.”
An undated image of Adam Payne. (Courtesy: Laurie Payne)
