A police operation that shut down the Rossland hill for several hours Monday was connected to the ongoing investigation into the suspicious disappearance of Trail resident Mark Konrad, RCMP confirmed Wednesday.
The Southeast District Major Crime Unit said investigators executed a search warrant June 1 at 1381/1383 Highway 3B near Warfield as part of the investigation into Konrad’s disappearance.
Read more: RCMP seek public’s help in disappearance of Trail man
“Highway 3B was temporarily closed in both directions while the warrant was executed to ensure the safety of both the public and police officers,” RCMP said in a news release.
The closure affected the section of highway between Warfield and Rossland, prompting traffic to be rerouted through Castlegar.
The highway reopened later that day.
The Trail Times received multiple reports of a significant police presence in the area Monday morning.
At the time, DriveBC identified the closure as a police matter but provided no additional details.
Police announced Saturday that the Southeast District Major Crime Unit had taken over the investigation into Konrad’s disappearance and was urgently seeking the public’s help.
According to RCMP, Konrad’s last confirmed interaction was with police officers in late June 2025.
Since then, investigators have received no confirmed reports of sightings.
RCMP said the disappearance of the 51-year-old Trail man remains unexplained and investigators are working to determine what happened to him.
Konrad is described as a Caucasian male standing five-foot-nine and weighing approximately 220 pounds.
He has brown hair that is balding and brown eyes.
Major crime investigators continue to make inquiries in Kelowna, Castlegar, Grand Forks, Warfield and Trail in relation to the case.
Questions submitted by the Trail Times to BC RCMP on Sunday regarding the Konrad investigation went unanswered.
On Tuesday, Trail RCMP advised that Southeast District Major Crime investigators were leading the investigation and would be issuing further information.
Police are asking anyone who had contact with Konrad during 2025, or who has information related to his disappearance, to contact the Southeast District Major Crime Unit information line at 1-877-987-8477.