Darlene Stankevicius says waiting to know what happened to her 69-year-old brother is eating away at her.
Ed Spakowski, 69, took the job as a driver with Smith’s RV Centre about seven weeks ago. Part of his job was to drive down to Elkhart, Ind., to pick up RVs and drive them back to Thunder Bay.
He headed south as he always did with his dog Keiko on Wednesday, June 29.
Spakowski was expected back home on Canada Day, but he never came back. Stankevicius filed a missing person’s report with the Thunder Bay Police Service on Monday.
Stankevicius, 55, said her older brother always kept in contact with her and never deviated from his habits.
"I’m feeling lost, confused and the waiting is very unsettling," Stankevicius told tbnewswatch.com Wednesday morning.
"You wouldn’t believe how that eats at you; the not knowing. You can’t eat, can’t sleep and can’t function. I couldn’t imagine people that have loved ones that are missing for several years."
She kept trying to reach her brother, but after a few days she contacted Smith’s RV Centre and asked if he ever arrived back in Thunder Bay.
They found his car still parked at the centre.
Spakowski didn’t have any health problems, but Stankevicius said she suspected that he might have had a heart attack.
She’s now calling the police every day, but they keep telling her that when they find the truck or RV the police will let her know.
"Edward is very prompt and punctual," she said. "He always leaves on Wednesday and comes back on Friday.
“He always leaves a message on my answering machine or cellphone to let me know that he’s back from another run. Friday went by and no response."
Stankevicius described her brother as five-foot-eleven, clean shaven and always wears a T-shirt.
Smith’s RV general manager Jason Johnstone said Spakowski was punctual and stopped at the exact same spots each time he crossed the border.
He checked the company credit card that was given to Spakowski and found that he did stop at one of the same gas stations near Indiana that he always did. He last used the credit card in La Porte, Ind., on June 30 at 3 a.m.
Hartland RV confirmed that Spakowski checked in with them around 7 a.m. the same day.
"He never really altered his routine," Johnstone said. "After knowing Ed for a little while you come to know he’s very routine orientated. This is very much out of character for what we know of him. We know that he has to be in a 90 mile radius between the Heartland RV centre and the next toll because he consistently the RV and headed towards the toll road."
Since Smith’s RV Centre closed during the Canada Day weekend, Johnstone gave Spakowski a key to the parking lot. Johnstone said Spakowski was going to park the RV and take his car home afterwards.
He said they lost three days and have to make up that time.
"There’s a real sense of urgency in getting this completed," he said. "The investigation is not going fast enough, unfortunately."
Thunder Bay Police Service spokesman Chris Adams said they have contacted Indiana law enforcement officials and have found no evidence that Spakowski travelled back into Canada.
Adams said Spakowski drove a grey 2007 Chevy Silverado with an Ontario plate that reads 986 3NT.
Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Spakowski can contact Thunder Bay Police.
