VIDEO: Unofficial search continues for missing West Kelowna man

With the official back-country search for a missing West Kelowna man on pause, volunteers continue the quest to find Lucas Singer-Kraus.

When the family got up Friday morning, the 23-year-old was missing from the family home and they've been frantically searching ever since.

"Within two or three hours we called the police and made a report," said his brother Jacob.

He pointed out that he deactivated his Apple ID and took along his compass.

"It's like he doesn't really want to be found," he said. "I feel like he may have been planning something for a while."

A day after Lucas went missing, search and rescue got involved.

"They were there for about a day and then they weren't here anymore because we need more information to find him," said Jacob.

So the family has turned their kitchen into a search headquarters with the help of neighbours, friends and volunteers.

They're doing their best to co-ordinate an ongoing search of their own and The Okanagan Forest Task Force is helping out.

"We've got a crew of eight or nine people out here," said Kane Black of the OFTF.

"In a situation like this, the more eyes the better," said Blake. "We will push on as much as we possibly can with or without search and rescue."

Lucas has not been recorded by the camera at the Bennett Bridge, so it's believed he remains on the west side of the lake.

The missing man, a university graduate, has struggled with loneliness for a long time, according to his brother.

For a tearful Jacob, the whole situation has been a reminder of how much he loves and cares for him.

"You take some things for granted," he said. "You should never take your family for granted, because they're all you have."

Jacob acknowledges there's a chance he's done something to hurt himself, but then again, he believes there's a good chance he's out there.

"He's smart enough to survive outside," he said.