Family of man who went overboard on ferry still searching for answers

Police believe James Cuthbert went overboard on the ferry to Newfoundland. (Halifax Regional Police)

The family of a Nova Scotia senior who went overboard on the Newfoundland ferry is still searching for answers after his death.

Foul play is not suspected in James Cuthbert’s death, but his family says the case doesn’t add up.

“There’s still a tremendous amount of unanswered questions that we have to, in our own way, come to peace with, that we may never get those answers,” says Cuthbert’s son-in-law, Tom Martin.

Cuthbert, 71, vanished after leaving his Jeddore, N.S. home on Oct. 26.

His family says he was going to run some errands and meet his 102-year-old mother, whom he has visited religiously every second day for nine years. They knew something was wrong when he failed to show up.

A search was launched and investigators used surveillance video to determine a timeline of Cuthbert’s activities.

They know he stopped at the Esso service station on Cole Harbour Road shortly after noon on Oct. 26 and then stopped at the Canadian Tire store in Dartmouth Crossing around 12:30 p.m.

A tip from a witness also placed Cuthbert outside his car in the parking lot of the Home Depot in Dartmouth Crossing sometime between 1 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. that day.

Surveillance video also indicated that Cuthbert had shaved off his trademark beard after leaving home.

His family searched for two weeks, but they later discovered Cuthbert was already gone.

Investigators found Cuthbert’s white four-door Toyota Prius at the Marine Atlantic ferry terminal in North Sydney, N.S. on Nov. 6. His keys were locked inside the vehicle.

Police viewed video evidence which showed Cuthbert boarding a ferry to Port au Basque, Newfoundland for the 11:45 p.m. crossing the same day he disappeared.

Investigators say he was seen on the ship, but he did not come off the ship, leading them to believe he went overboard.

Cuthbert’s family says police don’t suspect foul play, but that his death wasn’t an accident.

“Somehow, for some reason, something broke in Jim that day,” says Martin.

Martin says his family has discussed the matter at length and there were no family issues and no financial concerns.

“There’s absolutely no indication, no indicators, no red flags as to why this took place.”

Now, they are wondering whether Cuthbert may have had an unknown medical issue.

“Whether it’s a lesion, whether it was a growth or whatever, we don’t know, but something happened that made him feel this was the only thing to do.”

Cuthbert’s body hasn’t been found and now his family is exploring whether a British expert in ocean currents can help.

They admit they don’t have a lot of hope, but say they have to try.

“Having Jim would give us something final. It would remove all doubt. It would remove all questions,” says Martin.

“Jim was the real deal. He was a good guy.”

With files from CTV Atlantic's Kayla Hounsell