A Lower Mainland youth is fighting for his life at Kelowna General Hospital after being found frozen and unconscious in the snow at Salmon Arm.
“We’re basically prepared for the worst,” said Rob Stalker, the man’s brother. “We don’t expect him to get over this.”
Jordon Stalker, 23, started a fire last Saturday in a garage on Second Nations Road.
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The fire significantly damaged the structure, destroyed the vehicle, and caused extensive smoke and water damage inside the home.
Fortunately, the two people inside managed to get out unharmed.
RCMP said an officer tracked a set of footprints in the fresh snow and followed them into the thick bush behind the residence for about two kilometers.
That’s when the officer located Stalker lying unconscious in the snow.
“The only item of clothing left on was his sock… he was naked,” Rob Stalker said. “He has severe frostbite in various places on his body.”
Police said the officer immediately started CPR.
A second officer from the Kelowna Police Dog Section also headed to the road to help search and rescue the unresponsive man.
Jordon Stalker was eventually taken to a waiting ambulance, then airlifted to Kelowna.
“I understand it was like three feet of snow. It was very difficult to transport it,” said an emotional Samantha Stalker.
“The officer is a former paramedic. Jordan was lucky to have all those people in his place.”
Both Samantha and Rob said they feel terrible for the family whose home was damaged, but stress that Jordon’s actions were not malicious.
“The minute the fire started, it was, you know, to keep warm,” Rob said. “My brother is not an arsonist.”
“He’s not a bad person,” Samantha said. “Jordy has the biggest heart in the world, someone who would take your shirt off.”
The family says Jordon, who has been in and out of the mental health and judicial system, has suffered from mental health issues for years, issues that they say eventually led to drug use.
“From there, I think there was a strong bout of psychosis…the drug addict was constantly being tagged and put in rehab without a doubt there and just released.”
In fact, the Lower Mainland-based family says Correctional Services took Jordon to a treatment center outside of Kamloops when he left and somehow made it to Salmon Arm.
The family believes he may have hitchhiked to see an ex-girlfriend.
“He had nowhere to stay there, so he was walking around and nowhere to stay. It was cold…and he wasn’t dressed for it,” Samantha Stalker said.
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The family is upset that numerous attempts to get their loved one to need help ended in this situation.
“We’ve tried as a family to get her mental health and she’s been in and out of the justice system and you know, in and out of the mental health system and nothing has come of it,” Rob Stalker said.
They feel the system failed Jordan.
“The problem with him being an adult is that if he can make a conscious decision, the family can’t do anything. We have no information,” Rob said.
“The only reason we knew he was here is because we got a phone call from the police. We had no idea of his release, his whereabouts or anything.”
They hope to rebuild it and plead with anyone who has seen Jordon in the Kamloops or Salmon Arm areas to contact them to help trace his steps.
“Help me find out what happened here,” said Rob.
The family said police have not filed charges.
“I feel like the important foundation here is the lack of mental health support that he received,” said Rob Stalker.
“If anything can come out of this, maybe, you know, the possibility of impacting someone else in this situation, a mother, a brother, a sister, a father, a loved one. There has to be more support.”
If you wish to contact Rob Stalker, you may do so by email at [email protected].
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