On October 26, 1973, 26-year-old Kenneth Roy disappeared while on a solo hunting trip in the Nepisiguit River area near Nepisiguit Falls, New Brunswick. More than five decades have passed, yet the circumstances surrounding his disappearance remain a mystery.
Kenneth was an experienced woodsman who was familiar with spending time outdoors. According to information released by the RCMP, he had ventured into the wilderness alone to hunt. When he failed to return, concern grew, and on October 29, 1973, Kenneth was officially reported missing.
The area where Kenneth disappeared was described as approximately 75 to 80 miles from Bathurst, New Brunswick. Beyond his planned hunting trip, very little information has been publicly released about his final known movements, the circumstances that prompted concern, or any searches conducted following his disappearance.
At the time he went missing, Kenneth stood approximately 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighed 165 pounds. He had brown hair, blue eyes, a medium build, visible tooth decay, and a scar on his chin.
Kenneth was reportedly wearing a blue corduroy jacket with a school crest, green corduroy or denim pants, a brown pullover sweater, and a pullover sweater underneath. He also had a reversible hat in red, beige, and blue, handmade grey wool socks, rubber waders, a silver Timex watch with an expansion bracelet, and a compass hanging from a shoelace that he wore around his neck.
Some of these belongings, particularly his compass, watch, distinctive jacket, and waders, may be recognizable to someone who remembers Kenneth or who encountered abandoned personal belongings in the area over the years.
Although Kenneth was experienced in the wilderness, the circumstances of his disappearance remain unknown. There is no publicly established explanation for what happened to him, and it would be wrong to assume that his disappearance was necessarily the result of an accident.
Kenneth was just 26 years old when he vanished. He had a life ahead of him, and the unanswered questions surrounding that October hunting trip have endured for more than half a century.
Someone may remember seeing Kenneth in the days leading up to October 26, 1973. Perhaps someone encountered him along a hunting trail, remembers another person travelling through the area, or knows of an old discovery that was never connected to his disappearance. Even a seemingly insignificant detail could help investigators better understand what happened.
Kenneth Roy deserves to be remembered, and his disappearance deserves answers. Please share his story, particularly with people who lived, hunted, worked, or travelled in the Bathurst, Nepisiguit River, and surrounding New Brunswick communities during the autumn of 1973.
Anyone with information about Kenneth’s disappearance is encouraged to contact the Bathurst RCMP at 506-548-7771, the Tracadie-Sheila RCMP at 506-393-3001, or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477.
Case Reference: 2015050965
Sources: Royal Canadian Mounted Police, National Centre for Missing Persons and Unidentified Remains, Kenneth Roy missing-person bulletin, valid June 4, 2023; and Canada Unsolved, “Kenneth Roy (1973).”
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