The family of Buddy Rhodes, whose body was found near Merritt one year ago, are hoping that someone will come forward with new information about his death.
On Aug. 30, 2024, the body of Rhodes, aged 24, was found off to the side of the Coquihalla Highway (Highway 5) near Exit 286 in Merritt. The vehicle and driver that hit him have not been found.
A collision reconstruction determined that Rhodes was likely hit by a southbound vehicle while standing or walking at the side of the highway. He was not discovered until up to six days later.
On the one-year anniversary of Rhodes鈥� death, BC Highway Patrol has released the victim鈥檚 name, while his sister has issued a plea for any witnesses who could help further the investigation.
"Buddy's death has impacted all of us in different ways,鈥� says Alix Legouffe, Rhodes鈥� sister. 鈥淚t's left a big hole in our lives. We're still working through the process of how to move on without him.
"Buddy was funny, he was kind, he had the biggest smile. He lit up every room he walked into with all of his energy. I miss most about him being able to talk to him, the phone calls, the messages, the interaction. The time he spent with my kids, he was a great uncle. I miss everything about him."
Legouffe says the last year has been hard for the family as they went through all the 鈥渇irsts鈥� since her brother鈥檚 death.
鈥淭he first birthdays, the first Christmas, all of the family dinners. I'm getting married in a few weeks and having my brother not there; still trying to figure out how we're going to do that. It's been tough, but we're trying.鈥�
She adds that it would bring closure to the family to get some answers and know what happened, and hopes that someone will come forward with more information.
"If you made a mistake, if you found out after, if you found damage on your vehicle after, please tell someone. It's been a year now. Our family would really appreciate if you came forward and let us know what happened.
鈥淥ur family needs the closure. We need some answers. We need to know what happened, not just 鈥榳hat ifs.鈥� It's hard to put into words how grateful we would be to have some closure and be able to navigate the next steps. The not knowing is the hardest part of moving forward."
鈥淲e are open to hearing another side of this story, including from the driver who possibly did not know they hit Buddy,鈥� says Cpl. Michael McLaughlin with BC Highway Patrol. 鈥淲e need to solve this mystery for Buddy鈥檚 family.鈥�
If you know what happened, or you know someone who does, please call BC Highway Patrol 鈥� Merritt at (250) 378-4262 and quote file (2100) 2024-4262.
