For 25 years, Nick Mas茅e Jr. and his sister Tanya Mas茅e Van Ravenzwaaij have wondered what happened to their father and his wife.
But a quarter century after the North 麻豆传媒映画couple, Nick Mas茅e Sr. and his wife Lisa Mas茅e disappeared, the family is still searching for answers.
Nick Mas茅e Sr. and his wife Lisa Mas茅e disappeared in August 1994, leaving few clues about what happened to them. Photo courtesy North 麻豆传媒映画RCMP
鈥淭he passage of time has a way to make it less emotional, but it never goes away,鈥� said Nick Mas茅e Jr. at a press conference Tuesday at the North 麻豆传媒映画RCMP detachment. 鈥淲hatever it is that happened, we鈥檇 like to know.鈥�
This week the family announced they are doubling their previous reward in the case to $50,000 for information that leads to solving the mystery.
Mas茅e Jr. said family members are confident police have pursued all credible leads in the case.
But they still hope that the passage of time might one day lead someone else to come forward.
That鈥檚 a hope shared by police investigators. 鈥淲e also believe that somebody out there has information,鈥� said Sgt. Peter DeVries.
鈥淚f they were afraid (to come forward) before, maybe they鈥檙e less afraid now,鈥� he said, of people who might have information about the case. 鈥淢aybe the people they were afraid of have passed away.鈥�
There have been no shortage of theories over the years about what happened to the couple. 鈥淲e鈥檝e heard them all,鈥� said DeVries. 鈥淭here鈥檚 rumour and there鈥檚 conjecture. It doesn鈥檛 carry an investigation forward.鈥�
Known facts, however, are slim.
Nick Sr., a stock promoter and employee of Turbodyne Technologies, and Lisa, a hairdresser, were well known within the community's most affluent and influential social circles. Their disappearance was uncharacteristic and without explanation, leading police to suspect foul play.
Details that have emerged since the couple disappeared only deepened the mystery.
The day before the Mas茅es vanished, they had reportedly planned to meet with an unidentified businessman from California, who claimed to have $10 million to invest in Nick鈥檚 company. The rendezvous was slated for 8:30 p.m. at Trader Vic's restaurant in Vancouver's Bayshore hotel. But that night, Nicholas called ahead to Trader Vic's to say the couple would be late, and then never showed up. Neither did the man the Mas茅es were meant to meet.
Lisa Mas茅e made calls to both of the couple鈥檚 respective workplaces the following day on her husband's cellphone, saying they were taking a few days off. The calls were routed through a repeater on Bowen Island, suggesting she was still on or near the North Shore when she phoned. That was the last anyone heard from the couple.
Several days after those final phone calls, Lisa's worried sister visited their home at 442 Monteray Ave. to find the door unlocked, the alarm off, and their aging cat abandoned without food. The couple had left their car and their passports behind.
After the disappearance, rumours abounded as to what might have happened. Nick had worked as a senior private banker for the Bank of Montreal for more than 35 years before resigning in January 1994 to join Turbodyne. While with the bank, he had counted some of Vancouver's wealthiest and most controversial financial players among his associates.
Some people speculated Mas茅e Sr. had somehow run afoul of the wrong people.
A further unsettling detail was the revelation that the couple had made a secret trip to the Cayman Islands in April 1994, just months before they disappeared and opened a bank account there, without telling family or friends. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 a mysterious circumstance that causes us to ask larger questions,鈥� said DeVries.
Mas茅e Van Ravenzwaaij had moved to the Netherlands a year before her father disappeared, but 鈥渆very week he phoned and told me what was going on in his life,鈥� she said. He flew home to visit that Christmas. But starting in January 1994, her father鈥檚 demeanour changed, she said. He became secretive in a way he hadn鈥檛 been before, she said. 鈥淚t was completely out of character.鈥�
Mas茅e Van Ravenzwaaij said the logical part of her brain 鈥渢ells me they can鈥檛 be in hiding鈥�, although 鈥渢here鈥檚 a part of my heart that wants them to be 鈥︹��
鈥淲hatever outcome it is, it鈥檚 not what you want.鈥�
DeVries said while evidence in the case was never enough to say conclusively that the couple were victims of crime, there were details 鈥� including zap straps found in the couple鈥檚 home 鈥� that have led investigators to believe the couple are dead 鈥渁nd that their deaths were the result of a criminal act.鈥�
The family says they just want to know what happened.
鈥淓verybody loses their parents at one time in their life,鈥� said Mas茅e Van Ravenzwaaij, 鈥渂ut then you have a funeral. We don鈥檛 have that. That part has been extremely difficult.鈥�
Anyone with information is asked to contact Sgt. Pat Domodossola at 604-985-1311 or email at [email protected]
