Assault charge laid in case of man missing since 2002

A man from Two Hills County is charged with assaulting an Edmonton man who disappeared more than 20 years ago.

Police have laid assault charges in the 24-year-old case of a missing man.

Kevin Wade Moroz, 54, of Two Hills County, was charged Tuesday with aggravated assault and assault with a weapon against Gerald Geake, who has not been seen since 2002 and is now presumed dead.

According to investigators, Geake and Moroz were co-workers and friends.

The assaults Moroz is accused of happened in April and May of 2002.

Geake was 37 years old at the time.

“He did have a large friend group and everybody described him as being the one that was more of a peacemaker,” said Edmonton Police Service (EPS) Det. Bryan Kincheloe, who has worked on the file for three years. “He enjoyed being around people. He always was the one that had the smile in the room. People enjoyed hanging out with him and his family misses him tremendously.”

Police ask public for help

Friends reported Geake as missing to Edmonton police in the spring of 2003, after realizing he had not been heard from since May 2002.

Geake’s last known appearance was in south Edmonton. He is believed to have left his home in Avonmore with Moroz and another person, who was also a member of the friend group and who police say they have spoken to and does not currently face charges.

They were in a black 1992 GMC Sierra.

Police say he may have appeared injured or incapacitated to anyone who saw him before he disappeared.

“I can’t say for certain that the injuries that Gerry sustained back in the spring of 2002 contributed to his demise,” Kincheloe said.

Geake was 5′10″ and approximately 160 pounds when he disappeared. He sometimes had blonde hair that was cut in a mullet, although his natural hair colour is believed to have been brown, and he had blue eyes.

“If anybody was in the Avonmore neighbourhood back in the spring of 2002 and is familiar with seeing this truck driving around the neighbourhood, we want to speak with you. If anybody knew Gerry Geake back in the spring of 2002 or even earlier, we want to speak with you or anybody who knew his friend group,” Kincheloe told reporters.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to call EPS or Crime Stoppers.