**Information is obtained from the Where are they? Podcast and other online sources as cited**
Bernard Grempel spent many years as a competitive athlete. He loved sports so much, in fact, that he became a youth swimming coach and was said to have made an impact on many children’s lives.
Bernard’s family has always been exceptionally close. Bernard, or Bernie as he was often called, never went any length of time without speaking to them- especially his parents and sister.
On May 14, 2021, Bernie hit up a local 7–11 store for some snacks. It was around 8:45 p.m.
Later that evening, he boarded a train at the Skytrain Station in Vancouver. He then boarded the 340 Bus, heading towards North Delta. By now, it was after 11:00 p.m.
This was the route he would normally take to visit his parent’s house.
Bernie would never arrive at his parent’s house, however, and no one was quite sure where else he might have been going.
In fact, Bernie would never be seen or heard from again.
Where is Bernard Grempel?
This case of Bernard Grempel is important to share because I think it’s very possible that Bernard is out there somewhere, either needing help or possibly even in trouble or danger.
We have a little bit of CCTV in this case, which also leads to the mysteriousness of what may have happened to Bernard, or where he may have gone.
But let’s start with a look at who Bernie Grempel is.
Bernie was born in 1992, to parents that immigrated to Canada. His family was exceptionally close as he was growing up, and they continued to be as Bernie became an adult.
When he was 13-years old, Bernie traveled to Isreal to attend his sister’s wedding. Bernie loved the trip to Isreal and went back when he was a little older on his ‘birthright’ trip.
In fact, the family was planning on making another trip to Isreal in June 2021, which of course Bernie was excited for and looking forward to.
Bernie grew up an exceptional athlete as well. He was a competitive athlete, excelling in swimming and soccer. He was talented, and it was a passion of his. So much so, that Bernie began coaching youth swimming as an adult.
Many of the children he coached have come forward to say what an impact Bernie had on them. (I think sometimes we forget the impact coaches have on children, much like teachers and others youth leaders do).
Bernie graduated high school and attended college majoring in accounting. Bernie would become an accountant and would eventually move into his own apartment in Surrey, British Columbia.
Bernie’s job was stressful, and he did suffer from some anxiety and depression, which he was taking medication for.
Overall, Bernie was a likable and easy-going guy, whose friends all spoke highly of him.
In 2020, Bernie left his accounting job, saying it was too stressful and he wasn’t happy there. He would take a job at Amazon working the night shift for a while, but eventually would leave there too, not liking the third shift lifestyle.
Let’s look at the timeline of events on May 14, 2021.
Sometime during the day, Bernie did speak to his parents on the phone. He also texted with his sister. Everything seemed normal- meaning, nothing out of the ordinary.
At 8:45 p.m., Bernie visited the 7–11 store at 100th Ave and 152nd Street in Surrey. He was seen on CCTV and I believe he used his debit card at the time to buy some snacks.
He was alone.
It’s believed that he boarded the 340 bus to North Delta around 11:00 p.m, as he scanned his bus card to board. It’s believed that this was indeed Bernie, because this was the normal route he would take to go to his parent’s house. Both he and his mother are self-proclaimed night owls, so it wasn’t that unusual that he would be heading over there at 11:00 p.m. if that’s where he was going.
Unfortunately, riders don’t need to swipe their card to exit the bus, so where Bernie might have got off the bus, is unknown.
If he did get off at the stop he would normally take to go to his parents, it’s a very busy intersection. There are stores, lots of restaurants and a lot of traffic, at all hours, day or night. So if he did get off there, someone likely would have seen him, or if something would have happened there, it would have been seen.
The next day, the family tries to reach Bernie, unsuccessfully. They are immediately alarmed because they always stay in touch with him, and he always texts and calls them.
He is officially reported missing on May 16, 2021.
Let’s talk about the search for Bernie Grempel.
It seemed the RCMP, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, started to look into the case, but not too seriously. They waited to request CCTV footage from the bus he swiped his card on, and by the time they did, it was too late. The recording had been deleted.
Now, of course, Bernie is a 29-year-old young man. It’s a tough line to walk. Sure, he could have gone off on his own. He’s an adult. But when his family and friends are speaking up and saying, ‘no way would Bernie ever leave or stop talking to family’- you have to listen. He’s also never done anything like this before, and we have the added concern that he takes medication.
It was determined that Bernie did have his wallet and cell phone on him, but his cell phone had last pinged at 5:32 p.m. on May 14th. Authorities have stated that shortly after that, his phone battery must have died. (I have questions on that, we will revisit when we talk about possibilities.)
Bernie’s sister leads the charge to find her brother, as her parents only speak English as a second language, but they are all heartbroken and distraught over Bernie’s disappearance.
They are successful at getting Bernie’s case on local news, but still, police don’t seem to be taking the case as seriously as the family would like.
Supposedly, some are saying that police don’t want to investigate because there is nowhere to look. They don’t necessarily know where Bernie might have gotten off the bus.
In reality, we don’t even know for sure it was Bernie that scanned his card to get on the bus since there was no CCTV footage. But the family does believe it, based on the route he was taking.
His family decided to start riding the bus, every day, at the same time of night that Bernie did, and talk to everyone on the bus they could. They did find several people who could confirm that they saw Bernie that night on the bus. No one saw anything unusual.
I think it’s important to mention, that in 2020, there were 1.4 million riders on this route for the year. It’s a little busy.
The family also took on a lot of investigating on their own. They looked for businesses along the route that had CCTV, but found nothing. The bus also crosses over two rivers, which have also been searched.
By looking at the map- which by the way, is a bit confusing for me to follow along to determine the route exactly, but the 340 bus route does cross over the Queensboro Bridge and the Alex Frazer bridge over the Fraser River.
It looks like there might be a third bridge, maybe one without a name according to the map, but the bus route and the family has said it goes over two bridges.
The Fraser River is a pretty substantial river by the looks of it, but the family has said it was searched.
It was also said that there are two wooded areas on the route. They didn’t specify which they meant, and if the information is coming from locals they of course know better than me studying google maps, but I did see a large area- the Burns Bog Delta Nature Reserve. This area is just over 5,000 acres, and as a bog, full of wetlands. There are walkways and hiking paths that can be accessed.
Family and friends not only rode the bus route multiple times, but they also visited all the neighborhoods around putting up flyers, they have worked with a private investigator, they have started a website, a petition, a GoFundMe, and their own YouTube channel- all to help locate Bernie.
Eventually, a bunch of sightings started to come in from people that saw- or thought they saw- Bernie, in Vancouver.
This seemed hopeful to the family because multiple people were saying they saw him.
Sadly, it turned out to be someone who just had an uncanny resemblance to Bernie.
Okay. So here we have a 28-year old man, who hops on a bus- a bus that he has taken plenty of times before when visiting his parents and then vanishes into thin air.
I think we will have to work on the presumption that it was indeed Bernie that used his bus pass that day and swiped onto the 340.
Possibility #1.
Bernie met someone on the bus. Bernie might have had all intentions to head to his parent’s house, but met someone on the bus who convinced him to go somewhere with him.
Now, no one on the bus said they saw anything unusual, but remember this bus line sees 1.4 million riders every year. And most people on the bus are likely looking at their phones, maybe reading, maybe even talking to someone else, and not really keeping a close eye on what everyone around them is doing. So just because no one saw anything, doesn’t mean Bernie didn’t get off the bus with someone.
This possibility could have led Bernie to trouble, or maybe led him to another area he wasn’t that familiar with? Although it’s important to mention, Bernie grew up in the area and knew a lot of people, and a lot of people knew Bernie.
This could even mean that Bernie found trouble by someone he met or possibly had an accident after leaving his known route?
Possibility #2.
Something happened to Bernie AFTER he got off the bus. Maybe he met up with someone after he got off. Some online web sleuths wonder if he might have witnessed another crime while walking to his parent’s house- putting him in danger. There were no violent crimes reported that day or night, but it could have been something that wasn’t reported.
Bernie might have met with foul play. Or, Bernie might have had an accident.
The entire area has been pretty thoroughly searched- especially from friends and family, and no sign of Bernie was ever found.
Possibility #3.
Mental health breakdown. This doesn’t necessarily mean Bernie was considering doing anything, although that might be a possibility.
What makes me wonder, is the status of his phone. For a young man, who reportedly kept in touch with family and friends regularly, it seems unusual his phone would have died so early in the evening, without him charging it. I mean, of course, it’s possible, but his phone last pinged at 5:32 p.m. and then died shortly after. He’s seen on camera buying snacks at 7–11 at 8:44 p.m. and then swiped his bus pass just after 11:00 p.m.
Maybe he just wasn’t always great at charging his phone. Or, maybe he didn’t charge it on purpose? Maybe he didn’t want to be found?
Although this goes against what everyone says about Bernie, which leads me to wonder if he had some kind of mental break.
Remember the case of Amber Gerweck? A young woman went into the store, and had a sudden and complete loss of memory, leaving the store and driving 5 states away.
Could something like that have happened to Bernie?
But Bernie didn’t have a car and relied on public transportation, and everyone in the area has been looking for him. It’s pretty safe to say if this is the case, he likely might have completely left the area.
Possibility #4.
Bernie planned his departure. Again, with his cell phone being off, this might have been part of Bernie’s plan.
BUT, it’s never been turned on and his bank accounts were never accessed after his purchase on May 14, the day he disappeared.
So how did he do it?
His family and friends insist everything seemed normal with him leading up to his disappearance, and although he did suffer from depression, he kept in very close contact with all of his family members.
He also had a trip coming up just weeks after he vanished- a trip to Isreal which he was very much looking forward to.
Now, we never know what people are thinking, and what could be going on with someone internally, so even though this possibility doesn’t seem as likely, I don’t want to completely rule anything out either.
And since Bernie does take medication, his family is very worried about him.
Bernie Grempel is described as a caucasian male, standing about 6 foot tall and weighing around 150–160 pounds. He has curly brown hair and brown eyes. On the day he was last seen on CCTV footage, May 14, 2021, Bernie was wearing a white hoodie, red sweatpants, and black and white Nike sneakers.
If you have any information on the whereabouts of Bernie Grempel, you can contact the RCMP- Royal Canadian Mounted Police, at 604–599–0502. Or you can reach out to the family- you can find more information on who to contact and any updates on his case, at FindBernard.com.
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This episode was sponsored by HYRDONIQUE HYDRATION!
