WEEKS OF MISERY: Wife of dead Kamloops man demands transparency from RCMP

Unsupported, uninformed and unheard. That's how a young mother in Kamloops feels after a three-week nightmare ended with the discovery that her husband, and father of their toddler, was dead. Tasnim Azmayen, 22, said she knew right away that her missing husband, Michael Scott, 41, was in serious trouble when his truck was pulled over by RCMP on Sept. 5 with two strange, intoxicated men in it. “Me and my mother-in-law were sure something was seriously wrong when they found his truck, and we were scared,” Azmayen said. “He loved his truck and didn’t let other people drive it.” She spent the following 17 days making phone calls to Kamloops RCMP, pleading on social media for the public’s help and searching the streets for clues of her husband’s whereabouts. On Sept. 24, Kamloops RCMP issued a media release https://infotel.ca/newsitem/missing-kamloops-mans-body-found/it106606 stating Scott's body had been found. The day before, Azmayen was informed by police her husband was dead, three days after his body was found. Three days she spent still searching for him. “Two officers from the serious crime unit sat me down and talked to me and delivered the news," she said. "They didn’t find the dead body, somebody else did. “I’m mad because if they say his body was there for a couple of days, why did it take so long to tell us, why put us through that misery?” Southeast District Major Crime investigators are now leading the investigation, but haven't yet determined whether Scott’s death is the result of foul play.  For Azmayen, there is no doubt in her mind her husband was murdered. “He loves me, he loves his son, he would never abandon us,” she said. READ MORE: North Okanagan winery owner charged with drunk driving https://infotel.ca/newsitem/north-okanagan-winery-owner-charged-with-drunk-driving/it106615 The last time Scott was seen or heard from was Sept. 3 https://infotel.ca/newsitem/wife-of-missing-kamloops-man-pleads-for-help-to-find-him/it106539 . He was drunk and was taken to hospital by RCMP and held overnight, and in the morning retrieved his truck from his mother's house. On Sept. 5, Kamloops RCMP pulled over Scott’s truck, a blue 2017 Dodge Ram, near the Red Bridge and seized it after finding two intoxicated men inside who were not Scott. Scott nor his pickup had not been reported missing yet, and the men were let go. “The people in that truck are known to RCMP for stealing and hijacking trucks,” Azmayen said. “How can you let them go if you know they have that kind of behaviour, you should at least contact the truck owner and ask if you’re truck was stolen or not.” READ MORE: Kamloops city council may pull 'public inquiries' from meetings as disruptions continue https://infotel.ca/newsitem/kamloops-city-council-may-pull-public-inquiries-from-meetings-as-disruptions-continue/it106629 Kamloops RCMP sent out a missing person media release about Scott on Sept. 7. Several days later, police returned the truck to Scott's family, only to seize it again when Azmayen informed them items belonging to the two other men were inside the truck. “There were other people’s bank cards, clothes, overdose kits, blankets and phone numbers,” she said. “They didn’t check anything. They gave us the truck and the next day picked it back up again.” Azmayen contacted Kamloops Search and Rescue, the RCMP, bylaw services, rehabs, shelters and homeless camps and the hospital looking for her husband. A social worker at the hospital was not allowed to give her any information on her husband’s whereabouts or medical details. Azmayen said it was Sept. 14 when she found Scott’s belongings scattered on the ground under the Red Bridge including items belonging to Azmayen and the couple’s son, and drug related paraphernalia.  “We were very worried and I called the cops and told them,” she said. “The next morning a cop went there and looked through the stuff and picked up a couple of things. The cops didn’t look for him hard enough.” She put a missing person poster on one of the pillars of the bridge. In the early hours of Sept. 17, a fire was burning in the same area. https://bc-cb.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/ViewPage.action?siteNodeId=2116&languageId=1&contentId=85546 “I don’t know if its related or not, but for us we were scared,” she said. READ MORE: Keremeos senior, former Rotary Club president charged with attempted murder of wife https://infotel.ca/newsitem/keremeos-senior-former-rotary-club-president-charged-with-attempted-murder-of-wife/it106627 Following the fire, when iNFOnews.ca asked Kamloops RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Crystal Evelyn if there was any connection to the fire and Scott’s belongings under the bridge, she said there was no evidence of a connection. Azmayen said she called the police at least four or five times a day while her husband was missing but felt unsupported by officials. “I called to get updates but if the main officer on the case is not on duty, nobody knows what’s going on, yet they always told me there is always a cop that is looking for him.” she said. “They didn’t call me with regular updates.” While the Sept. 24 RCMP media release stated the body had been discovered four days prior, it wasn’t until Sept. 23 that Azmayen was told.  “The Friday before, I talked with the missing person’s department. She said if we have any updates, we’ll give them. If there’s a different officer on duty, they’ll probably not call you, so you’ll have to wait until Monday," Azmayen said. “Even on Saturday they didn’t give me any calls and I didn’t want to call them back because they said there was no point in calling, if we have any updates we’ll call you. "I was thinking they were getting annoyed with me calling so many times, there were other matters going on in Kamloops and I didn’t want to bother them. I was feeling guilty but wanted answers as well.” READ MORE: Kamloops mental health expert raises concerns over involuntary care expansion https://infotel.ca/newsitem/kamloops-mental-health-expert-raises-concerns-over-involuntary-care-expansion/it106622 She hasn't seen her husband’s body yet as an autopsy is being conducted and she isn’t clear when she will be allowed to. “I asked 'is it possible it’s not Michael' but they said they found his passport on him,” she said. “I was still adamant that I need to see him. They said 'he doesn’t look the same.' For me it’s hard, I need some kind of closure.” Azmayen wants quicker action by officials on missing cases and more transparency in communicating with families. Convinced her husband was murdered, she also wants the culprits behind bars. READ MORE: iN PHOTOS: Kamloops mourns loss of beloved Red Bridge https://infotel.ca/newsitem/in-photos-kamloops-mourns-loss-of-beloved-red-bridge/it106561 Cpl. Evelyn wouldn't comment specifically on the two men and their potential connection to the search for Scott. It's not clear how long Scott might have been dead and police didn't say where he was found, but the news release suggests his body was found in the Strawberry Hill area, near Rayleigh, as police are now seeking surveillance or dash cam video from the area between Sept. 3 and Sept. 20. Kamloops RCMP deferred iNFOnews.ca to Southeast District Major Crimes Unit for comment.  The Southeast District Major Crimes Unit did not respond to requests for comment in time for publication.  — With files from Levi Landry  To contact a reporter for this story, email Shannon Ainslie mailto:sainslie@infonews.ca  or call 250-819-6089 or email the editor mailto:news@infonews.ca . You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom mailto:tips@infonews.ca  and be entered to win a monthly prize draw. We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above. SUBSCRIBE to our awesome newsletter here https://infotel.ca/newsletter .