20-year-old student missing after bus trip from UBC

The family of a missing 20-year-old UBC student is growing more concerned since his disappearance on Saturday.

The Vancouver Police Department says Matthew Hutchings left the UBC area on the 99 B-Line bus route just after 2 a.m on May 24.

Hutchings was expected to return home but never did. Investigators believe he may have been near the intersection of Commercial Drive and Broadway around 6 a.m.

Hutchings’ cousin, Catherine Brown, says his disappearance is completely out of character.

“He’s just a really soft, gentle person. He doesn’t have any problems with anybody. He’s not involved in anything shady or gang-related; he is just a young guy. He’s 20 years old, right? And so we don’t understand how somebody can just go missing out of thin air,” Brown told 1130 NewsRadio on Monday.

She says Hutchings’ wallet and cell phone were found at the Safeway near Commercial Drive and Broadway in East Vancouver.

“So we are very, very worried about what’s happened.”

Brown says her uncle, Hutchings’ father, is distraught and “broken” while waiting for information about his youngest son.

Police have released an image of Hutchings to help in the search.

(Courtesy Vancouver Police Department)

He is described as a 5’10” Indigenous man, 140 pounds, with a slim build. He has curly black hair and brown eyes.

Anyone who sees Hutchings is asked to call 911 and stay with him until first responders arrive.