The last time Mrs. Wiebe saw her son, he was wearing faded blue jeans, an orange t-shirt with a green number 23 on it and brown running shoes with orange trim. He had gone for a bike ride. David, 13, was never seen again.
Mrs. Wiebe contacted Steinbach RCMP on July 25, 1978, and for the last 38 years, the police have been looking for David. The investigation determined David had been murdered, and RCMP had a pretty good idea who did it. Dale Goertzen was a friend of David’s. They were known to shoot targets together. When David went missing, Goertzen was one of the first people investigators approached. He denied any knowledge of David’s whereabouts. The police did not give up.
In 1995, RCMP arrested Goertzen. He plead guilty to second degree murder in the death of David. He received a life sentence, and remains in prison.
But David is still missing. David’s remains have never been found. His bicycle has never been located. His family still wants to know where he is. His brothers and sisters want to lay David to rest with his parents, who never recovered from losing their boy. The RCMP continues to look for David. In fact, his case is being looked at by the Missing and Exploited Persons Unit of the Manitoba RCMP.
“Investigations do not collect dust,” said Sgt. Bobby Baker, head of the MEP Unit. “Our investigators look at some of the hardest cases, ones that have not been solved in decades, or cases involving some of the most vulnerable people in society. We do not give up. Even after 38 years, we are optimistic we will be able to locate David and provide some closure to his family. If we did not have that optimisim, that hope, I don’t know how we could continue to do this.”
This six-person unit includes active police officers, retired homicide and historical case investigators and analytic supports. The unit takes a proactive role by educating young people about human trafficking and exploitation, so they can avoid becoming victims. The long-term missing person investigations are reviewed by the retired homicide investigators to see if there is any further work that can be done on the investigation, such as retesting evidence with new technology. The investigators use fresh eyes to see if there are any leads. This unit also gathers dental and DNA records from families to have on file in case remains are found.
“I retired as the head of the homicide unit in 2008, after 37 years in the RCMP,” said Ret. Sgt. Bert Clarke, “but I felt like I could do more. Investigations stuck with me throughout the years, so I can only imagine how they are affecting the families. I think the work we do in the MEP Unit is very important. We not only work on current missing and exploited person investigations, but we make sure victims of the past are not forgotten. The lessons we learn from the past help us in the present and vice versa.”
And the MEP Unit of the RCMP is using all their experience and expertise to try and bring David Wiebe home and give his family some peace.
National Missing Children’s Day is an annual day to recognize the need for efforts to reunite missing children with their families. This day is also a stark reminder that child safety needs to be a top priority. Parents need to speak with their children about how to keep safe; police and child safety organizations need to educate children as to the dangers that are out there and how to protect against them; and we all need to remember that we are responsible for the safety of the children in our communities. We all have a role to play.
