A mother and father in the Maritimes are dealing with the loss of a son in B.C. for the second time.
Friends found Andrew John Meisner dead in his duplex in Nelson last week. Police have ruled out foul play and said they believe the home contained a drug lab. The equipment was apparently used to make prescription or restricted drugs, but no noxious chemicals were found, the Nelson Star reported.
Meisner, 33, was the same age as his brother Geoff when he disappeared from Kelowna in November 2009. RCMP later revealed Geoff was involved in selling drugs and suggested he may have been murdered.
Geoff Meisner worked as a protein salesman and had fought in several mixed-martial-arts bouts before he disappeared. He owned a store called My Gym Bag in Nelson before he, his wife Tammy and their four young daughters moved to Kelowna in 2005.
Despite emotional pleas from Tammy for information about her husband's fate, his disappearance remains unsolved. She filed an affidavit asking the court to declare her husband legally dead, and admitted he may have dealt with the Hells Angels and King Pin Crew, gangs with roots in Kelowna.
"I truly believe that individuals associated with those organized criminal gangs caused the disappearance and death of my husband," Tammy said in the document. "Geoffrey most likely fell victim to . . . gangs for which Geoffrey was either associated with or a member."
To access his house and other assets, Tammy petitioned the court to declare her husband dead. A judge granted the request.
Three weeks after Geoff vanished, his parents Gordon and Joanne flew from their home in Nova Scotia to support the family. Gordon, a retired RCMP officer, said he was happy with the job local police were doing but felt helpless.
"There's no reason or rhyme to it. Sometimes you think the worst and hope for the best. It's so out of character," he said at a press conference.
Andrew attended the press conference. He said afterward he knew of no enemies Geoff might have and couldn't say why anyone would harm him.