CBC | Top Stories News
· collected 2026-08-31 · by Timothy Sawa, Mark Kelley, Tiffany Lam, Geoff Turner
A man connected to the local drug trade in Dawson Creek, B.C., Matt Lawton, is being investigated over his potential involvement in the disappearance of Cole Hosack in 2023. A confidential source claims to have overheard Lawton admitting to a role in Hosack's disappearance on the night he went missing, describing it as an accident. The RCMP believes Hosack is no longer alive and has been investigating the disappearances of 15 people, including nine in 2023, in the community with a population of 13,000. New evidence from the investigation, part of a CBC podcast series, suggests Lawton may have played a part in Hosack's disappearance after he owed him for drugs.
Written by the local model on 2026-08-31,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Cole Hosack vanished from Dawson Creek, B.C. in 2023.
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Hosack → vanish → 2023
Does this man know what happened to him?
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what → know → him
Man tied to local drug trade heard discussing what happened the night Hosack went missing
New evidence, including a potential confession, has been uncovered in an investigation by the CBC's the fifth estate into the suspicious disappearance of a man in northern British Columbia.
Cole Hosack vanished on New Year's Eve in 2023 after leaving a bar in the town of Dawson Creek, 1,200 kilometres north of Vancouver.
The investigation is part of a CBC podcast.
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investigation → tie → podcast
The Mile Zero Murders, released as part of the CBC's Uncover series, is the result of a two-year investigation into a cluster of disappearances and killings in the community with a population of 13,000.
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Murders → release → 13,000
Fifteen people have been killed or gone missing over the last five years, nine of them in 2023 alone, including Hosack.
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people → kill → Hosack
The RCMP have said they believe Hosack is no longer alive.
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Hosack → say → ?
Episode 5 of the podcast, which is available Monday, includes an interview with a confidential source who describes overhearing a conversation with a man admitting to a role in Hosack's disappearance on the night he went missing.
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he → include → night
"He openly admitted in front of a bunch of people that he had a big part in Cole Hosack's disappearance and that it was an accident," the source told the fifth estate.
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source → admit → estate
We are protecting the identity of the source over fears for his safety.
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We → protect → safety
The man the source overheard confessing is 29-year-old local resident Matt Lawton, who other sources say is connected to the drug trade in Dawson Creek.
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sources → overhear → Creek
"[Lawton] openly kind of admitted that they had picked [Hosack] up and the fact that he owed them for drugs," the source said.
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source → admit → drugs
When approached by the fifth estate, Lawton denied any involvement in Hosack's disappearance, saying he wasn't familiar with the name Cole Hosack.
"I don't know who that is," he told podcast host and fifth estate producer Timothy Sawa, who explained Hosack went missing while visiting Dawson Creek in 2023.
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Hosack → approach → 2023
"I have no clue," Lawton said.
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Lawton → have → clue
Hosack's story made national headlines in 2024.
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story → make → 2024
At the time, he was the fourth person to disappear from the small town in the same year.
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he → disappear → year
All four cases are being treated as homicides by the RCMP.
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cases → treat → RCMP
A grieving dad
Hosack was a grieving dad who was passing through Dawson Creek in December 2023, on his way to a new job.
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who → grieve → job
He and his fiancée had recently lost an infant son after the baby was diagnosed with a rare heart condition.
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baby → lose → condition
The baby was "pure frickin' magic, that boy," said Morgan Crawford, Hosack's partner.
"
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Crawford → say → ?
He looked just like his dad.…
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He → look → dad
Hosack was living in Prince George at the time.
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Hosack → live → time
He was offered a job operating heavy equipment in Alberta, which was meant to be a fresh start for the couple, Crawford said.
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Crawford → offer → couple
Hosack got a ride from a friend, who needed to stop in Dawson Creek along the way.
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who → get → way
Their plan was to celebrate the new year in the northern B.C. community.
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plan → celebrate → community
On the evening of Dec. 31, according to two people who were with Hosack, he and three others were moving from bar to bar as the night progressed.
uncertain
night → accord → bar
A series of Snapchat videos obtained by the fifth estate show Hosack appearing to have a good time.
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Hosack → obtain → time
"Happy New Year's, goofs," he said in one, with cheers and music in the background.
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he → say → background
"Y'all need to come out here bro and flip this town upside down.
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Y'all → need → town
I'm sure we won't remember tonight, not even a little bit."
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we → remember → tonight
- THE FIFTH ESTATE
Why have so many people been killed or gone missing in Dawson Creek, B.C.?
- THE FIFTH ESTATE
Behind the fear: The unsolved killings in Dawson Creek, B.C.
Hosack and his friends ended the night at a local bar called The LoneStar.
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Hosack → kill → bar
According to several witnesses, the only thing that stood out was a short altercation between Hosack and two other men over whose turn it was to use the pool table.
uncertain
it → accord → table
"We're just sitting there having drinks and stuff, and those people that were there came by the pool table and started saying stuff to him," said Dawson Creek resident Laura Lambert, one of the people partying with Hosack that evening.
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Lambert → sit → Hosack
"I couldn't hear what they're saying, but nit-picking at him and stuff when he's shooting pool."
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he → hear → pool
Lambert said eventually they left him alone and the festivities continued.
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festivities → say → him
"He would call me and he'd be outside smoking or he'd be drinking," Crawford said.
"
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Crawford → call → me
He was drunk, but he was not wasted.…
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he → waste → ?
He kept it to a very chill medium."
The final call from Hosack came shortly before midnight.
"
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call → keep → midnight
The phone call ended, ‘I love you.
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I → end → you
I'll see you tomorrow or the next day,'" Crawford said.
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Crawford → see → you
Shortly after that, the fifth estate learned, Hosack was captured on the security camera of a local business, hurrying down a dark back alley, followed by a truck.
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Hosack → learn → truck
…and 38 more, not listed.
