As missing St. Thomas, Ont. man turns 35, family still hopeful he’ll be found

Kyle Hancock, 34, of St. Thomas, Ont. has been missing since Aug. 1, 2023. His recognizable e-bike was found in a farmer’s field in Central Elgin, Ont. on Nov. 6, 2023 (Source: Hancock Family)

Kyle Hancock turned 35 Friday, however his family wasn’t able to celebrate with their loved one.

The St. Thomas, Ont. man has been missing since Aug. 1, 2023.

“It's hard to imagine what has happened to him or where he could've gone,” Brendan Hancock, Kyle’s brother, wrote in a Facebook post this weekend.

Brendan put the post out on social media in hopes of keeping his missing brother in the minds of those in the region.

With no leads or updates since mid-November, Brendan wrote that, “even the police are left at a stand still.”

He hasn’t shown up for work after Aug. 1, 2023, accessed his bank account, or returned to his loved collection of guitars or equipment.

“Based on this information, it's obvious things aren't sounding too good,” said Brendan.

More than two months after his initial disappearance, police received a lead in the case when his e-bike was found in a cornfield just east of St. Thomas on Southdale Line in Central Elgin on Nov. 10, 2023.

Within two weeks, his helmet and cellphone were also found in the area and police, along with volunteer search and rescue teams, spent days combing the area with drones, dogs, and ground search crews.

No leads were found.

Brendan said Kyle “appeared to be getting his life back on track” over the past few years, after falling in with the wrong crowd and often getting in trouble with his words and actions.

“He got a job, apartment, hobbies etc., all while struggling with some [I think undiagnosed] mental health issues,” wrote Brendan.

He added Algonquin Park is the only place he’s ever seen his brother at peace in his adult years,

“I can only imagine he's found a place comparable to that landscape/environment where he can replicate that feeling once again.”

He sadly wrote, his brother is likely unaware he’s now an uncle of two.