Jeff Walton aka Ronald Stan and his son Jeff Walton. Photo from Facebook

The Cherokee Nation Marshal Service located a man who went missing from Canada 37 years ago.

Earlier this month, tribal authorities acted on a tip from the Ontario Provincial Police. They found Ronald Stan, 69, living in Tahlequah, the tribe's capital, under the name of Jeff Walton.

It's not clear why Walton left Ontario in 1977. But he married a woman from Tahlequah -- Debra Poctor, whose Facebook activity indicates she might be a member of the Cherokee Nation -- and they had a son named Jeff Walton, Jr.

"Ronald Stan GOODBYE," Proctor, who counts Chief Bill John Baker and his wife as friends on Facebook, wrote in a post on August 21. "I've lived my life with Compassion, Love & Service. The past 16 1/2 years will not change this, for I will continue to life this way."

Proctor filed for divorce on August 14, The Oklahoman reported. She hasn't commented to the media but her son said his father acknowledged his long-kept secret.

“It’s not a deal-breaker. He’s still the same gentleman I’ve known for 35 years and nothing changed,” the younger Walton told the paper. "Technically, in my mind, it’s a name change and that’s pretty much it.”

Get the Story:
Missing Canadian turnsup 37 years later in Tahlequah (The Tahlequah Daily Press 8/27)
Investigation uncovers Tahlequah man's double life (The Oklahoman 8/27)
Man missing 37 years found alive in U.S. (The Toronto Star 8/25)