A 36-year-old BC man presumed dead after being swept away in a fatal mudslide along Highway 99 on November 15th was in the process of moving from Peachland to Victoria.
Brett Diederichs was travelling to Vancouver Island with his partner and mother when they were all caught in the fatal mudslide that claimed the lives of four other people.
According to a GoFundMe campaign set up by family, Diederichs’ partner and mom made it out of the landslide unharmed, but he was lost in the mudslide on Duffey Lake Road near Lillooet, BC.
“While we were lucky enough to have Mom and Madison escape uninjured, our beloved son, brother, life partner, nephew, cousin and friend Brett was taken by the landslide and continues to be missing,” reads the GoFundMe fundraiser.
To date, four people are confirmed to have died in the mudslide – their bodies have been recovered, however, police have suspended their search for Diederichs, noting all current search efforts have been exhausted.
Two of the confirmed deceased, a husband and wife, were returning home to Vancouver following a weekend getaway. They leave behind a two-year-old daughter.
The other two victims were, Steven Taylor, a father of four from Burnaby who had recently moved to BC from Calgary, and a 61-year-old Lower Mainland man, who was also recovered at the location, according to Staff Sgt. Janelle Shoihet with the BC RCMP.
Rugby Canada is saddened to learn about the passing of one of our own.
Steven Taylor was tragically lost in Monday’s mudslide in Duffy Lake just outside of Lillooet, BC, caused by the catastrophic rain and subsequent flooding that has hit British Columbia. pic.twitter.com/1P2BbRcgvv
— Rugby Canada (@RugbyCanada) November 21, 2021
The fundraiser for Diederichs’ family has raised $67,662 of its $100,000 goal.
“We will use these gifts to contribute to his end-of-life celebrations and to support the love of his life, Madison during these difficult times,” reads the fundraiser.
