David Alexander Mitchell was 48 years old when he disappeared in rural New Brunswick on September 9, 2024. What initially began as a missing-person investigation has since taken a more serious and increasingly puzzling turn. More than a year after David vanished, the New Brunswick RCMP Major Crime Unit assumed responsibility for the investigation, saying there were several unanswered questions surrounding the events both before and after his disappearance. Two years later, David has still not been found.
David was from the Rothesay area of New Brunswick and was reportedly employed as a flooring installer. His mother, Cathy, has become one of the most persistent voices keeping her son’s disappearance before the public, repeatedly asking for information and pushing for answers about what happened to him.
On September 9, 2024, David travelled to Whites Mountain, a rural community near Sussex. Family and secondary accounts have reported that David was dropped off at a camp in the area. The RCMP has been more cautious in its public description, confirming that David was last seen at a residence on Whites Mountain Road that day.
It would become the last confirmed sighting of him.
David did not return, and there was no publicly confirmed communication from him afterward. Sixteen days later, on September 25, his disappearance was formally reported to police. The following day, the Sussex RCMP issued its first public appeal for assistance. Investigators had already followed several leads but had been unable to locate him, and both police and David’s family were concerned for his well-being.
David was initially described as approximately 6’2″ tall and weighing around 200 pounds, with hazel eyes, grey hair and a grey goatee. No description of the clothing he was wearing when he disappeared was available. In later RCMP information, his approximate weight was listed as 180 pounds.
As the weeks passed without any sign of David, his family began publicly pushing for answers. Cathy refused to allow her son’s disappearance to quietly fade from attention. She spoke about David, appealed to anyone who might know something and continued pressing for greater attention to his case.
By November 2024, the RCMP was again appealing to the public. Investigators stressed that even information someone considered insignificant could potentially be important. On November 23, more than 20 people reportedly gathered outside the RCMP detachment in Hampton despite pouring rain. Cathy was among them. By then, 73 days had passed since David had last been seen.
The demonstration reflected a growing sense of frustration and concern surrounding the case. David had travelled to Whites Mountain, had been seen at a residence there, and then seemingly disappeared. Yet there was still no public explanation for what happened after he arrived.
In December 2024, there was finally visible movement in the investigation. On December 14, officers from the New Brunswick RCMP’s Specialized Policing Services conducted a search in the Whites Mountain area in connection with David’s disappearance.
Police did not publicly reveal what had prompted that particular search or exactly what investigators were looking for. Cathy said at the time that she did not know what police were doing there, but after months of uncertainty, she was grateful to see additional investigative activity. She also spoke publicly about difficulties communicating with police while acknowledging the enormous emotional strain surrounding the investigation.
Despite the search, there was no announcement that David had been found.
Winter passed, followed by spring and summer, and eventually September 9, 2025 arrived. One full year had passed since David had last been seen. The RCMP marked the anniversary by once again asking anyone with information to come forward.
Then came one of the most significant developments in the investigation.
The New Brunswick RCMP announced that David’s disappearance was being transferred to the Major Crime Unit.
The announcement did not mean that police had determined David was the victim of homicide. No suspect was identified, no arrest was announced, and investigators did not publicly state that criminal activity had been proven. However, the language used by the RCMP suggested investigators were looking closely at more than simply David’s present whereabouts.
Cpl. Matthew Leblanc-Smith said investigators were dealing with several unanswered questions surrounding the events leading up to and following David’s disappearance on September 9, 2024. The Major Crime Unit would continue the work already completed by Southeast District RCMP while exploring every available avenue in an effort to determine what led to David’s disappearance.
Those unanswered questions have never been publicly explained.
Police have not provided a detailed public account of David’s final known hours. They have not disclosed everything investigators learned about what happened at the Whites Mountain Road residence. Nor have they revealed what information ultimately caused the investigation to be transferred to Major Crime.
Then, in December 2025, investigators returned to Whites Mountain.
On December 2 and 3, the RCMP Major Crime Unit conducted what police described as an “operation” in the community in connection with David’s disappearance. Once again, very little information about what was happening was released publicly.
Police did not disclose exactly where investigators were concentrating their efforts, what they were searching for, what information had led them back to Whites Mountain or whether anything potentially significant had been recovered.
When the operation ended, police again asked the public for information.
The timing makes the December 2025 operation particularly intriguing. Approximately fifteen months had passed since David disappeared, and the Major Crime Unit had already assumed responsibility for the investigation. Something brought investigators back to the same rural community where David’s trail had originally disappeared, but police have not revealed what that something was.
Inevitably, David’s disappearance has generated rumours and theories within the community and online. Some people believe someone knows exactly what happened to him. Others have questioned the circumstances surrounding his final known visit to Whites Mountain. Those suspicions, however, should not be confused with established evidence.
The RCMP has never publicly declared David’s disappearance a homicide. Nor has police publicly named anyone as a suspect or accused any individual associated with the Whites Mountain property of harming him. Community advocacy materials have identified individuals and properties believed to be connected with David’s final movements, but without confirmation from investigators, it would be irresponsible to present those people as suspects.
What is publicly established is troubling enough.
David travelled to Whites Mountain on September 9, 2024 and was last seen at a residence on Whites Mountain Road. After that, his trail disappeared. Sixteen days later, he was reported missing.
His family began searching for answers. Members of the community gathered outside an RCMP detachment demanding greater attention to his disappearance. Specialized RCMP officers searched the Whites Mountain area in December 2024. One year after David disappeared, he remained missing.
Then the Major Crime Unit took over.
And several months later, Major Crime investigators returned to Whites Mountain for another operation specifically connected to David’s disappearance.
Still, David was not found.
The largest unanswered question remains what happened after David arrived in Whites Mountain on September 9. Somewhere between that final confirmed sighting and the realization that he was missing is a piece of the story that has never been publicly explained.
That missing piece may also be what investigators are trying to uncover.
David would now be approximately 50 years old. The most recent RCMP description lists him as approximately 6’2″ tall and 180 pounds, with hazel eyes, grey hair and a grey goatee. Police have never released a confirmed description of the clothing he was wearing when he disappeared.
Two years have now passed since David Alexander Mitchell travelled into the rural Whites Mountain area.
His mother has continued asking questions. His family and supporters have continued keeping his name visible. Investigators have returned to the area more than once, and eventually his disappearance became an investigation for the RCMP Major Crime Unit.
Yet the central question remains exactly the same as it was in September 2024.
David arrived in Whites Mountain.
But where did he go from there?
Somewhere in the events surrounding September 9, 2024, there is an explanation for what happened to David. Police themselves have acknowledged that important questions remain about what occurred both before and after he disappeared.
Someone may know the information that answers those questions.
Until that person speaks, investigators uncover the evidence they need, or David is finally located, David Alexander Mitchell remains missing.
If you have information on this case, please contact any of the following:
J Division RCMP:
Telephone: 506-851-7281
Email: jdiv.mcu@rcmp-grc.gc.ca
Reference Case#: 20241417860
Canada’s Missing Case reference: 2024050951
Crime Stoppers: 1-800-222-TIPS(8477)
Online at: https://www.canadiancrimestoppers.org/submit-a-tip/submit-a-tip
Crime Stoppers provides anonymous tipping
Send email to the National Centre for Missing Persons and Unidentified Remains at: canadasmissing-disparuscanada@rcmp-grc.gc.ca
Sources: New Brunswick RCMP; New Brunswick Crime Stoppers; CTV Atlantic; MissingPeople.ca; Telegraph-Journal; family and community advocacy materials.
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