When a burnt-out truck is discovered at the end of a remote logging road, surrounded by scattered possessions and a trail of charred clothing, it’s hard not to wonder: what really happened? This is the perplexing case of Marshall Iwasa, a 26-year-old from Calgary whose disappearance in November 2019 has left more questions than answers. His story intertwines with another missing person, Daniel Riok, in a web of eerie coincidences, suspicious circumstances, and frustrating dead ends. This article dives deep into the mystery, exploring the timeline, the clues, and the unsettling connections that keep this case alive in the minds of those seeking the truth.
The Last Known Steps of Marshall Iwasa
Marshall Iwasa’s journey begins innocently enough. On a day like any other, the young man spent time doing chores around his Calgary home before setting out on a two-hour drive to Lethbridge to visit his mother. The trip doubled as an opportunity to assist her with a computer issue and pick up an item from a storage unit. At the time, Marshall was on a break from college—a detail he hadn’t shared with his family. Whether he was hesitant to admit he’d skipped the next semester or distracted by something else entirely remains unclear. After a brief visit, he left his mother’s home around 11:00 p.m., bidding her goodnight with plans to head back to Calgary. That was the last time anyone saw him.
What followed deviates sharply from the expected. Instead of returning home, Marshall spent the night outside a closed storage facility in Lethbridge’s industrial park, repeatedly entering his access code without success. Keypad records show he persisted until 6:00 a.m., when the facility opened, allowing him entry. He spent two and a half hours inside—leaving at 8:24 a.m.—before vanishing from the record entirely. His financial trail ends there, and no evidence suggests he made it back to Calgary. The question lingers: what was so urgent that Marshall waited all night to retrieve from that storage unit?
Six days later, on November 23, 2019, hikers stumbled upon a chilling scene along the Felix Creek Trail in Pemberton, British Columbia—a staggering 14-hour drive from Lethbridge. A pickup truck, later identified as Marshall’s, sat at the trailhead, reduced to a smoldering wreck. The steering column was missing, and the surrounding area was littered with belongings: clothes, ID cards, two passports, three smashed cell phones, a broken laptop, and toiletry bags. Some items belonged to Marshall, but others did not. Adding to the strangeness, a trail of burnt clothing stretched from the vehicle to a nearby creek, hinting at a frantic or violent event. Yet Marshall himself was nowhere to be found.
A Remote Crime Scene and Tampered Evidence
The Felix Creek Trail is not a place people stumble upon by accident. Tucked off an old logging road in British Columbia’s rugged backcountry, it leads to the Brian Waddington Hut, a volunteer-maintained shelter for registered hikers. It’s isolated—perfect for solitude, but also for concealment. When hikers reported the burnt truck to the RCMP, they noted an eerie feeling, likening the scene to the aftermath of a crime. The fire smelled fresh, and the scattered possessions suggested chaos. Fearing they’d walked into something dangerous—perhaps linked to a high-profile manhunt earlier that year—they retreated and alerted authorities.
By the time the RCMP arrived, the scene had changed. Items once contained in a box were now strewn about, broken, and doused with water or ice. Some pieces were missing entirely. In such a remote location, accessible only by a difficult 4×4 trail, it’s hard to imagine an unrelated party stumbling upon and tampering with the evidence in the narrow window between the hikers’ departure and the police’s arrival. The hikers saw no one else, and no visitors were logged at the hut. This raises a chilling possibility: whoever altered the scene may have been involved in its creation.
The RCMP’s search uncovered one more clue: the trail of burnt clothes leading to the creek. It looked as though someone had caught fire while fleeing the burning truck. An underwater search yielded nothing—no body, no further evidence. Authorities concluded Marshall was likely the driver, citing his personal effects, but stopped short of calling it suspicious. Within a week, the Whistler RCMP closed their initial investigation, suggesting he’d simply wandered into the woods. The case was handed to the Lethbridge Police Department (LPD) on December 12, 2019, as a missing person inquiry—but the refusal to label it criminal would shape its trajectory.
The Storage Unit Enigma
Backtracking to Lethbridge, the storage unit offers a tantalizing piece of the puzzle. Marshall’s family revealed he was a computer enthusiast who’d spent 800 hours developing a video game. The morning before his trip, he’d been working on this passion project, suggesting he needed a computer component—perhaps a box or part to repair his broken rig. Waiting all night for access supports this urgency. Yet, when the unit was later searched, nothing appeared amiss or missing, casting doubt on this theory.
Alternatively, the scattered clothes and toiletries at the truck site hint at a packed bag, possibly a hiking backpack that was never recovered. Did Marshall plan a trip after Lethbridge—one he kept secret from his family? His organized trunk and recent truck payoff (despite no clear job) fuel speculation. Storage units are known hubs for discreet exchanges, often under surveillance but easy to disguise. Could Marshall have retrieved something more clandestine than a computer part? The two and a half hours he spent inside—far longer than needed for a quick grab—only deepen the mystery.
Enter Daniel Riok: A Parallel Disappearance
Just three days after Marshall’s truck was found, another strange case unfolded an hour away in Squamish, British Columbia. On November 26, 2019, 29-year-old Daniel Riok was reported acting erratically at Cheekye Ranch. Dressed inadequately for the cold, he wandered with his shirt over his head, laughing and claiming to live “in another timeline” during a call to his uncle. Taken into custody by the RCMP for his odd behavior, he was released at 5:00 p.m. with no grounds to hold him. Surveillance tracked him that evening: at a Tim Hortons at 6:00 p.m., a Walmart at 6:46 p.m., and back to Tim Hortons before hitching a ride to the Squamish Indian Reservation.
At 1:00 a.m., Daniel’s aunt saw him leave her deck, mentioning a fight with a friend by the river. She dismissed it as intoxication. Hours later, his car was found idling on Lewis Drive, lights on, phone inside—but Daniel was gone. No one reported him missing until January 7, 2020, six weeks later, when his great-uncle filed a report. The RCMP searched but found nothing, and the case stalled.
Daniel’s life was turbulent. An Indigenous Squamish Nation member, he’d lost his mother to violence and grew up without stability, couch-surfing and battling substance issues. Yet he was a father striving to improve for his kids, working as a laborer when steady. Before vanishing, he’d grown paranoid, claiming people were after him. A broken hand—allegedly from a hammer attack tied to theft—sent him into hiding, though stories conflicted. Was his disappearance a tragic relapse, or something more sinister?
A Tangled Web: Linking the Cases
The connection between Marshall and Daniel emerges through the truck scene. Family members identified some items—clothes, a red cooler with “Cody Lewis” written on it—as Daniel’s. Lewis is a common name in Daniel’s family, and he had a cousin named Cody Lewis. This cooler, unreleased publicly until leaked by an RCMP officer, ties the cases physically. Online communities, including Marshall’s Facebook group, latched onto this, with one relative briefly confirming the link before retracting out of fear.
An eyewitness adds fuel to the fire. A regular at “That Irish Place” in Squamish claimed to have seen both men in November 2019 with a third, intimidating figure. Daniel, distressed, told the witness, “I think that guy’s going to kill us,” while Marshall struggled at an ATM. The truck outside matched Marshall’s. Days later, the witness saw police retrieve Daniel’s guitar from the bar—yet no alarm was raised. If true, this places both men together shortly before their disappearances, under duress.
Theories and Unanswered Questions
The burnt truck, tampered evidence, and shared items suggest foul play, possibly tied to illicit activity. Storage units and coolers are classic concealment spots for drugs, and Marshall’s smashed electronics (including a hollowed-out Xbox and PlayStation) align with smuggling tactics. His truck payoff without a job raises eyebrows. Daniel’s paranoia and alleged theft could point to a deal gone wrong, with the third man as an enforcer. The burnt clothes and creek trail hint at a panicked escape—or a staged cover-up interrupted mid-act.
Yet police resist this narrative. The LPD calls Marshall’s case “suspicious” but not criminal, citing no “compelling evidence” of foul play. A private investigator’s arson finding and a lighter at the scene didn’t sway them. Daniel’s case remains a missing person inquiry, despite his car and guitar in police hands. Families decry the inaction—nine months for a fire report, no forensic tests, the truck left to rot. Are authorities downplaying a larger crime to avoid scrutiny, or do they genuinely see no leads?
The Fight for Answers
Marshall’s family launched a petition in August 2020 to force a criminal classification, gaining traction but no result. The LPD insists the case is open but stalled without evidence. Daniel’s relatives, spearheaded by the Lewis family, continue their search, frustrated by the six-week delay in reporting. Both families face withheld evidence and bureaucratic walls, relying on online sleuths and private efforts to keep hope alive.
The Felix Creek truck remains a haunting relic, a burnt shell holding secrets it can’t tell. Did Marshall and Daniel cross paths with danger in British Columbia’s backcountry? Were they victims, accomplices, or both? Until new evidence emerges, their stories linger in limbo, a testament to the unresolved and the unknown.
FAQs
Q: What happened to Marshall Iwasa’s truck?
A: Marshall’s truck was found burnt out on November 23, 2019, at the Felix Creek Trail in Pemberton, British Columbia, 14 hours from his last known location. The steering column was removed, and items were scattered around, with a trail of burnt clothes leading to a creek.
Q: How is Daniel Riok connected to Marshall Iwasa?
A: Items at Marshall’s truck scene, including a red cooler labeled “Cody Lewis,” were identified by Daniel’s family as his. An eyewitness also claimed to have seen both men together at a Squamish bar with a third man shortly before they vanished.
Q: Why hasn’t the case been classified as criminal?
A: The Lethbridge Police Department insists there’s no “credible, corroborated, or compelling” evidence of foul play in Marshall’s case, despite arson findings. Daniel’s case remains a missing person inquiry due to lack of concrete leads.
Q: What was Marshall doing at the storage unit?
A: He spent hours retrieving something—possibly a computer part for a game he was developing or items for a planned trip. The exact purpose remains unclear, as nothing was reported missing from the unit.
References:
- Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) statements: rcmp-grc.gc.ca
- Lethbridge Police Department updates: lethbridgepolice.ca
- “Through a Blue Lens” documentary, National Film Board of Canada: nfb.ca
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