The discovery of two abandoned suitcases on a remote Vancouver Island beach has led to new information about the mystery.
The bright yellow and blue suitcases — found by Tegwyn Hughes on Jan. 18 — were left on a rock ledge at Mystic Beach. To Hughes' surprise, there was no one around and the suitcases were filled with food.
“Sausages, cheese, steak strips that had been cooked, raw onion, raw potatoes,” Hughes told Glacier Media last week.
Mystic Beach in Juan de Fuca Provincial Park is a two-kilometre hike from the China Beach parking lot through a lush forest. The hike is filled with tree roots, mud and steep stairs.
A couple who hiked to Mystic Beach earlier this month believes they ran into the family that the suitcases belonged to. They reached out to the Times Colonist after reading the story about the discovery.
Shelley and Larry, who live in the Courtenay-Comox area and requested to only share their first names, spent the afternoon at Mystic Beach on Jan. 8. On their walk back to their vehicle around 2:30 p.m., they say they came across a young man who was not dressed appropriately for a hike.
“He was carrying a tent in a duffle bag and wearing sneakers … he didn't look like your typical hiker that was doing the Juan de Fuca trail,” said Shelley.
A few minutes later, they noticed a man, in his late 40s, carrying a blue suitcase and a yellow suitcase. He was standing in an area where some trees and debris had obstructed the trail.
“He looked very, very uncomfortable,” said Shelley. "They were not dressed whatsoever for the conditions. They were dressed like they were going to the mall.”
The couple spoke with the man, who told them they were planning on going for a picnic or camping. They cautioned him about the tides, areas to camp and warned that it would start getting dark soon.
“You could hear the sound of pots and pans clanking, I think in maybe one of the suitcases,” said Shelley.
As they carried on, they ran into a younger woman who was carrying a flat of bottled water. Another woman was carrying pillows.
“Our sense is that they made the trek down there and they were probably so exhausted ... that maybe they decided to leave the stuff there instead of lugging it back,” Shelley said.
Larry believes the family was completely overwhelmed.
“They really didn’t seem to know what they were up to,” said Larry. “They all seemed very shocked as to how far the beach was when we told them.”
The family members they chatted with all spoke with a slight Spanish accent.
“It seemed like they were visiting from somewhere and came up with this notion that you should go and do this without a lot of research into it,” said Larry. “I don't hold it against them for leaving the food in that they just seemed completely overwhelmed.”
Shelley added this was not a simple case of littering but rather the group was "in over their heads."
“Do your research. Don't come down with running shoes and suitcases and think that you're prepared because you are not. It's not as forgiving as maybe the pictures look,” she said. "It's not a walk in the park."
Police in the area have no reports of missing people connected to the abandoned suitcases.
"Sooke RCMP hasn’t had a missing person reported since at least Jan. 16, 2025, and nothing that would appear to be related,” said Staff Sgt. Kris Clark in an email to Glacier Media.
Juan de Fuca Search and Rescue manager Victoria Clark also confirmed they have not been notified about anyone missing.
“We have not been tasked out in that area by either the RCMP or BC Parks and have no further knowledge or comment on the find by the two hikers."
Mystic Beach is temporarily closed due to storm damage.
“The Juan de Fuca Marine Trail has many closures due to storm damage and Mystic Beach is one of those areas that is closed. Encouraging all people heading in that area to check out trail closures on the BC Parks’ website," said Clark.
BC Parks confirmed that it was looking into the matter and said the incident appears to be a one-off.
