The mysterious disappearance of Gordon Sagoo on Baby Munday Peak

Gordon Sagoo, disappeared August 14, 2016, Baby Munday Peak, Cheam Range, British Columbia, Canada

Revised January 2024

Gordon Sagoo, 50, was hiking with two friends to Baby Munday Peak in British Columbia on Sunday, August 14, 2016, when he walked ahead of the group to explore another area and vanished without a trace.

Friends said Sagoo was physically and mentally strong. He took up long-distance running in his mid-forties and completed several marathons.

The weather was fine that day. Gordon was fit and experienced, yet despite an extensive search, nothing was found.

Gordon remains missing.

What is the Baby Munday peak?

Baby Munday is in the Cheam Range, in the Fraser Valley region of the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, near Chilliwack. The area is also a part of the Skagit Range of the Canadian Cascades and contains many rugged peaks.

The western peaks in the range (Cheam, Lady, Baby Munday, and Stewart) are known in areas of the Fraser Valley where they are visible as the "Four Sisters". The eastern peaks in the range are referred to as the Lucky Four Group because of their proximity to the abandoned Lucky Four Mine. The highest point is the Welch Peak.

The disappearance and search for Gordon Sagoo

Gordon had decided to visit another peak that day while the others in the group hiked to a nearby lake. They agreed to meet later, but Sagoo never arrived at their meeting spot.

Search and Rescue crews were first called out on the night of August 14 to look for Gordon in the Chilliwack River Valley. He was last seen near Baby Munday Peak. Friends and family said he was an experienced hiker who knew the area well.

A massive search effort involving ground teams, helicopters, drones, and police dogs was launched. Crews from around the region scoured the area but found no trace of Gordon. Sagoo’s family had returned to the mountain daily, looking for any signs. North Shore Search and Rescue also brought a thermal imaging camera to track him.

After a week, on August 21, Chilliwack Search and Rescue reviewed all aspects of the search and recommended to the RCMP that it be called off.

They said the decision to suspend the search came after long consideration. “After consulting with SAR Managers from Kent Harrison SAR, Coquitlam SAR and North Shore Rescue, the management team from Chilliwack SAR reviewed all aspects of the search operation on Sunday…a report was presented to the Chilliwack RCMP recommending the suspension of the search of Mr Sagoo,”

The announcement comes one day after Sagoo’s family and close friends held a tearful news conference in Surrey, expressing faith that he would be found.

In a statement, members of the Sagoo family thanked the various search and rescue teams for their “courageous and tireless efforts” over the past week. They also vowed to “continue the search privately via other channels.”

Sagoo’s niece, Manpreet Gill, said, “This has been one of the most agonizing and challenging times our family has gone through. Nothing has been harder than returning home each day without him. He is strong, determined, resilient – there isn’t a powerful enough word to describe my uncle.”

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