5 January 2006
Body Found in Banff ID'd as Missing Chester Man
Linda Saltzman sat in the chair in her doctor's office, watching as her physician drew a vial of
blood. It was strange, knowing the same blood that had given her son life would now tell her whether he was dead.
Twenty-two-year-old Steve Duggan had been missing from his apartment in Banff, Alta., since 27 Jul 2005. In
October, a hiker found skeletal remains in a wooded area just a few hundred metres from the outskirts of town. The medical examiner
wanted a sample of Mrs. Saltzman's DNA to determine whether those remains were her son's.
"It was a weird feeling," she said in an interview from her home in Chester on Wednesday, "but at the same time you want
an answer, you want to know."
She, ex-husband Steve Duggan Sr. and husband John Saltzman had done everything within their means to find the young man;
even the security guards at the West Edmonton Mall have copies of Steve Jr.'s picture, as do the Salvation Army and various clinics and
hostels between Nova Scotia and Alberta. The parents even went to Banff twice to carry out their own search but learned nothing that
would help them find out what happened to their son.
Three days before Christmas, the medical examiner called Mr. Duggan to say there was no doubt the skeletal remains were those of their
son. He waited until Boxing Day to tell Mrs. Saltzman.
As Mr. Duggan walked into the house, "I knew, I just knew," said Mrs. Saltzman, "but now we know where he is now. Knowing
he is at peace now gives us some relief, some closure."
They still have no idea what happened to their son. "I don't know if it's suicide, homicide or an accident," said Mrs.
Saltzman, and she now accepts that she will likely never know.
Staff Sgt. Bill Young of Banff RCMP said police are no longer involved in the case.
"At this point, we have concluded our investigation, the medical examiner's office has concluded its investigation and we have no
reason whatsoever to believe foul play was involved."
But the family is left with unanswered questions. Mr. Duggan had been at a party the night he went missing but went home, showered,
changed his clothes and went back out again, leaving his identification and birth certificate behind in his apartment.
"He was well-liked by everybody," said Mrs. Saltzman.
Her son left home just a few weeks after turning 17 and was working as a bartender at three different restaurants when he disappeared.
It wasn't unusual for him to stay out overnight at a party, but Mrs. Saltzman said he always turned up at work the next day and he
phoned her regularly. As soon as they learned he was missing, she and Mr. Duggan flew out to Banff.
They met with his friends, visited the places their son frequented and went through his belongings hoping to find some clue to his
disappearance. Mr. Duggan flew out again in September and did the same thing all over again, to no avail.
On 13 Oct 2005, a hiker found remains about 100 metres from the CN railway line (Editor: News article is incorrect,
CN does not have tracks in Banff.), in a wooded area between the train tracks and the Trans-Canada Highway. Staff Sgt.
Young said the area is just a few hundred metres from the town's limits.
Mr. Duggan flew out to Banff Sunday and spent Wednesday trying to arrange a WestJet flight that would take both him and the remains. He
was hoping to be able to come home today.
The funeral will be held at Chester United Baptist at 2 p.m. Saturday, followed by interment in Canaan.
"It will be nice to have a place where we can go to visit, talk to him, be with him," Mrs. Saltzman said.
For now, she takes comfort in memories of a lanky teenager who, even at 16, still liked to crawl onto his mother's lap and give her a
big hug, though he towered over her by a foot.
And of the Saturday afternoons he spent at a wrestling ring built in a friend's backyard in Martins River.
"That was his passion, wrestling," said Mrs. Saltzman.
He'd study videotapes all week, then try out the moves with his friends.
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