MOUNT VERNON, Wash. — When people heard the name Josh Korvin, they immediately thought of a board—a snowboard or a skateboard. In addition to his list of professional snowboarding accomplishments, he was a business owner and father.
But 20 years ago, he vanished after a fire was reported at his Mount Vernon home. It's a case that has stumped investigators and left his family to speculate all these years later.
In the year 2000, Josh Korvin was 26 years old and in a profession he loved, but his life changed drastically that fall.
While driving back from Mount Baker in August 2000, Korvin and his partner were in a car accident near Deming. The car they were in was hit head-on by a suspected drunk driver. He was badly injured but survived. Tragically, his partner did not.
Investigators determined Korvin had also been drinking before the crash. Whatcom County court records show Korvin was convicted of DUI and he was sentenced in 2001 to one year in prison.
Life after the accident
Korvin's family loved Korvin's partner and loved the two of them together even more. His sister, Crystal Ogle, described her as the best thing in Korvin's life. Korvin's family said the loss of a loved one and debilitating injuries caused Korvin to slip into a depression.
“From that point on, Josh entered a very dark phase," Ogle said. "He was in a lot of pain, and he was very traumatized, and he didn’t know how to do life without (her).”
After the accident, Ogle said her brother started associating with a different crowd and eventually got into drugs, which turned into a serious addiction.
“From that point on, I think we all saw a big change in him, and we were all very concerned,” Ogle said.
Genny Korvin, another of Korvin's sisters, said she saw the change in her brother.
"As he expressed to me, he was fearful for his life," she said, adding he was not one to be afraid of many things.
With the help of his family, Korvin opened a skate and snowboard shop in Bellingham. They hoped it would serve as an outlet for him.
“[Our mom] tried as much as she could to get him back on track.... that’s when they opened it," Ogle said. "Hoping, I think that that would be what he was looking for and give him something to look forward to."
Fire breaks out at Korvin's Mount Vernon home
Almost four years after the accident, on March 17, 2004, Korvin's family learned there had been a fire at his Mount Vernon apartment. Police found evidence that he was able to make it out of the apartment through his bedroom window, but he hasn't been seen since.
Mount Vernon police assigned a homicide detective to the case shortly after the fire. A spokesperson for the department says the case is still open, but there have not been any new leads in several years.
“I just hope that somebody has the courage, who's seen it or knows something, to come forth and provide that information,” Genny Korvin said.
Every year since that day, Korvin's mother, Consuelo Guandique, would publish messages about him. "Still looking for him, if anybody knows anything, call his mom," one message read. "Josh Korvin, where is he? Where is my son?" read another.
“It’s something that we’ve had to deal with for 20 years. Not only for the fact that I no longer have my brother, but he had a 10-month-old daughter. … That 10-month-old blossomed into a beautiful young lady," said Genny Korvin.
A young lady who is hopeful to learn what really happened to her father she does not remember.
Josh Korvin's impact on the community
The ollies, shove-its and flips weren't all Korvin was known for. He was pivotal in supporting the next generation of snowboarders and skateboarders in the Mount Vernon area.
According to his family and friends, he made it a point to teach kids he saw struggling at a skate park, would offer free snowboarding lessons at Mount Baker and even helped build skate parks around the area.
Shortly after high school, magazines started to feature Korvin and he rarely met a local competition he didn't win, even placing third in a national competition.
"It was his life," Ogle said. "It was his passion."
Adam McCoy was a longtime friend of Korvin's and helped run the Bellingham board shop.
"He was a role model for sure," McCoy said.
McCoy described Korvin as generous with his talent and time. When he wasn't participating in events, he would emcee them. When he was on the ski lift he was hyping up others and giving high fives.
"He was always there on the mountain," McCoy said. "He was a really big part of the valley and the mountain, so it was pretty awesome to like, grow up with him and hang out with him."
Unsolved Northwest: Disappearance of pro snowboarder Josh Korvin
"This Mount Baker community, the ski area and this valley, there's so many legends that run so deep and he definitely falls into that category," McCoy said. "Everybody knows who he was and everybody remembers him and we all dearly miss him.
Even without his remains, his family hopes to get a headstone made out of his old snowboards to memorialize him. They have already purchased the perfect plot of land where they can all gather and remember him.