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A man who mysteriously vanished and was officially declared dead after a 1977 barn fire in Canada has been found alive, living under a different name in Oklahoma, The Daily Mail reported on Monday.
Ronald Stan was 32 when he went missing after the fire in East Williams, Canada, on Sept. 29, 1977. Nine years later, authorities officially declared him dead.
“I remember that one quite well because we dug through dead pigs and so-on with our boots on, and had done our very best to find human remains,” retired firefighter Jim Walsh told CTVNews. “And there was none in that barn.”
Last month, Middlesex County OPP were conducting a routine audit and decided to reopen the case, using new technology to help.
After an investigation, they found Stan alive and living in Oklahoma under the assumed identity of Jeff Walton, 69.
“We were trying to account for the disappearance for Mr. Stan,” said Const. Laurie Houghton of the Middlesex County OPP. “One thing led to another and we found him in the state of Oklahoma.”
Houghton said she couldn’t speak to the man’s motives for disappearing, but that the affected families and U.S. authorities had been notified of the details.
The case is now closed, and police say Stan is not facing any charges in Canada.
Agencies/Canadajournal
