Mother mourning death of son found on Grouse Mountain after atmospheric river

Chandra Russell is mourning the loss of her 25-year-old son, Tevin Rauner, who was found deceased on Oct. 21.

Russell says she received a call from the RCMP telling her that her son’s body was found off a trail on Grouse Mountain the Monday following last month’s atmospheric river event that saw over 200 mm of rain fall on some parts of Metro Vancouver.

Russell says her son was staying at a shelter in Surrey and was last seen there on the Friday morning by fellow residents.

“He said he was going for a hike, and they said, ‘Well, it’s probably not a good idea, it’s supposed to rain really hard later,’” she said.

“The temperature just dropped, and I don’t think he anticipated how much rain and how cold it was going to get.”

Russell says she believes her son died from hypothermia, because a coroner’s report found no signs of injury or trauma.

“We have to wait for the blood work to get back for definitive answers,” she said.

Rauner was found with his backpack, a notebook with his sketches, and his longboard.

“We noticed too that his phone was smashed up, so he must have dropped it or ran over and not have been able to call for help,” Russell said.

Rauner was once a vibrant artist, and his mother says she’ll remember him through his art.

“I’m going to miss him so much.”

Russell says a funeral will be held later this month. It will be announced on the GoFundMe that’s been started to cover the cost of the memorial.