RCMP say missing Red Deer man's remains found 2 years after river rescue attempt in B.C.

Lina Elsaadi · CBC News

· Posted: Jul 24, 2026 8:47 PM EDT | Last Updated: July 25

More than two years after he was last seen being swept away in B.C.'s North Thompson River, the RCMP say the remains of a man from Red Deer, Alta., have been found.

“On July 16, 2026, remains found were positively identified as the human remains belonging to Stan Cappis,” Cpl. Dana Napier, a media relations officer with the Kamloops RCMP detachment, said in a news release issued Thursday.

Cappis was last seen in the North Thompson River on July 12, 2024. The RCMP said he and a friend jumped into the waterway as they attempted to rescue two youth. At the time, the RCMP said the two youth and Cappis' friend were able to make it to shore.

Efforts to find Cappis were made by Kamloops RCMP officers, including police dog services, air services, the forensic identification section along with Kamloops Fire Rescue and Kamloops Search and Rescue.

"It affects our community, it affects the responders that do those initial responses," said Ken Uzeloc, Kamloops' fire chief. "It affects the search and rescue teams ... [who] spend a few days out looking for that person. And nobody wants to have that happen in their community.

"I think they feel a loss, whether it's someone from here or someone not from here."

He called the citizen rescue attempt "a very heroic thing to do," but also said, speaking broadly, if someone who is not well trained is thinking about attempting such a rescue, it is best to call 911 and not endanger yourself or others. He added that there are ways to attempt to rescue others, by throwing ropes or floatation devices, and that going in the water should be a last resort.

Uzeloc said he was part of the initial search for Cappis two years ago.

"When you've been in emergency services, you get to see families and experience their grief and it has an effect on us," he said. "If something is done to provide closure or relief to families, I think that helps first responders as well."

Uzeloc said swimming in the river is not condoned by the City of Kamloops, except at Riverside Park where there is a marked-off area with lifeguards on duty in the summer.

"The rest of the river ... our public education that we do discourages people from using the rivers because it is very unpredictable," he said. "It's not easy to see things in it, and it's much deeper, colder and faster than a lot of people think it is."

Uzeloc said the City of Kamloops has improved signage at six parks with access to the river, including at Tournament Capital Ranch, where the incident happened two years ago.

"We've had probably a few near misses, and unfortunately, we've had one or two fatalities over the last few years," he said. "And as there is in lots of waterways, there's going to continue to be people who engage and make decisions even when people ... or signs say don't swim here or it's dangerous."