Families of couple in missing Edmonton-bound plane raising funds to continue search

Ashley Bourgeault and Dominic Neron are seen in a photo posted online. (Supplied)

After rescue crews suspended their search for a plane that dropped from radar on the way to Edmonton, the families of the couple on board are trying to raise funds to keep the search going.

Back on Saturday, November 25, the plane took off from Penticton at about 2:30 p.m., and the Victoria Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre (JRCC Victoria) received an alert about eight hours later. A signal from the pilot’s cellphone was picked up off a cell tower northeast of Revelstoke, B.C.

In the days that followed, aircraft from the Royal Canadian Air Force and Parks Canada flew about 120 hours and covered more than 22,000 square kilometres in the areas around the plane’s last known location in the search for the plane and the two people on board.

CTV News later confirmed the name of the pilot: Dominic Neron, 28, from Spruce Grove, and his passenger was identified as his girlfriend: Ashley Bourgeault, 31.

On Monday, December 4 at about 4:30 MT, JRCC Victoria suspended their search for the single-engine plane and the case was turned over to the RCMP.

Now, the families of the two people on board are trying to raise funds in order to keep the search going.

Bourgeault’s family is accepting donations through email money transfer to: [e-mail].

Neron’s sister Tammy set up a GoFundMe page on Tuesday, December 5.