A mysterious suitcase that washed ashore at a B.C. park caused a stir on social media.
on the morning of May 7, with photos showing an illegible name tag and a map dot of where the suitcase was found. The post has since received over 230 comments and more than 90 shares.
"Found washed up on shore at the Bear Creek campground," Myers posted. "Wet and heavy so it's been left there."
Comments on the post ranged from speculations of what could be inside - "I watch too many crime shows... There's probably a body inside" - to guesses by people trying to make out the writing on the water-soaked tag.
While others asked Myers if the dumped suitcase had been reported to the RCMP.
With no indication of police having been notified, Black Press set out to investigate.
The Globetrotter suitcase was found in the location pinpointed on Myers' map, still lying partially in the water and zipped shut.
A passerby confirmed that the suitcase had washed up that morning, noting that she walked the shoreline daily and hadn't seen it previously.
Black Press contacted Kelowna RCMP about the suitcase, however, officers did not inquire further or open an investigation.
Inside the suitcase were men's clothes and a collection of more than a dozen hats. Despite an unknown amount of time submerged in Okanagan Lake, a couple of photos and the tearaway part of a Canadian government cheque remained intact. A photo of three people and the name on the cheque, Francis Deshaies, offered the first clues in the search.
In just a couple hours Black Press was able to track down Deshaies on social media to let him know his belongings were found and to get the full story.
But how the suitcase ended up in Okanagan Lake is a mystery to its owner. Deshaies said the bag went missing while he was on board the Casabella Princess anchored in Okanagan Lake near Bear Creek Provincial Park "last summer", indicating it was lost in 2024.
The Casabella, however, hasn't been in operation for several years. With more questions than answers, Black Press reached back out to the owner of the suitcase but hasn't received a reply.
The Casabella Princess was previously owned by Penticton Cruises. A partner in the business and the owner of Kelowna Cruises, Mike Reddecliff told Black Press the boat was damaged after it broke loose from its mooring in 2019 and washed up on some rocks. Insurance wouldn't cover the costs of repairs and the Casabella Princess was sold to a private owner in 2021.
Since the sale, the Casabella has not been in commercial operation on Okanagan Lake, but it has caused problems. In 2022, Infotel published a story about the dilapidated vessel moored, without permission, somewhere on Okanagan Lake. The Coast Guard was called in to assist and the owner was given a grace period to have the vessel moved.
In Canada, themanages the removal of abandoned or damaged boats. A report has been made about the sinking vessels but a timeline for the boat鈥檚 removal is unknown.
Reddecliff said the boat has gotten loose on the lake multiple times since, including twice this May. He noted that the owner seemed to use the old boat as a cabin.
With Desahies' suitcase likely not having fallen off the Casabella, Reddecliff suggested that maybe the vessel was actually a houseboat that launched out of Vernon.
With no company currently operating houseboat rentals in Vernon, the mystery of where the suitcase came from remains. Black Press has agreed to hold onto the photos collected from the suitcase until Deshaies can make the trip to Kelowna.
