Former Overwatch coach Justin "Jayne" goes missing from his hometown in Canada

Former Overwatch coach Jayne missing since June 20 (Image via Liquipedia)
Former Overwatch coach Jayne missing since June 20 (Image via Liquipedia)

Former Overwatch coach and streamer Justin "Jayne" went missing earlier this week. A pioneer in Overwatch Education, Justin was a highly successful Overwatch content creator on both YouTube and Twitch and also coached Team Canada and Dallas Fuel.

The police department of Airdrie, Alberta issued a missing persons notice seeking public assistance in locating Justin. The department's official Twitter handle took to social media to spread the news, allowing various internet personalities to amplify the message.


Former Overwatch coach Jayne missing for four days

The police department reported Justin's last known location as his hometown of Airdrie in Alberta, Canada. According to the notice, he was last seen leaving his house at around 2.00 am on June 20. His description is as follows:

  • Was wearing light-colored hoodies with sweatpants and blue striped white shoes
  • Red hair and brown eyes
  • 6'2 and 150 lbs
  • Bearded

A Twitter user also posted a picture to show others how Justin looks clean-shaven:


Jayne's career

Justin started his YouTube channel in late 2017 and uploaded Overwatch strategy guides that became quite popular. According to Social Blade, he was getting over two million views per month. At the time, there were no other proper guides for the game available online, and a lot of new and existing players appreciated Justin's analysis of the game.

Justin's view count (Image via Social Blade)
Justin's view count (Image via Social Blade)

His popularity grew, and in 2018, he was signed as the Head Coach of Team Canada for the 2018 World Cup, in which they bagged the third prize. The following year, he went on to become an assistant coach for Dallas Fuel, playing for the Overwatch League. This was probably Justin at the height of his career as it started going downhill ever since.

A series of online dramas and controversies slowly but surely ate away at his reputation bit by bit. Clashes with esports journalists and then a dramatic exit from social media marked his early 2019.

Even the esports organization he started, Elo Hell, faced a lot of backlash for poor or inconsiderate tournament planning. He returned to Twitch in the fall of 2019 with an emotional opening stream where he hinted at having behavioral disorders. A couple of months later, Jayne left Dallas Fuel to pursue content creation for Envy. However, his subsequent feud with Overwatch pro ChipSa further mired his reputation. This was coupled with a move to Facebook Gaming that resulted in a further loss of viewership.

After returning to Twitch in 2020, he started The Jayne Show. It was quite well received by the Overwatch community but was canceled within months. After a few failed side projects, Jayne essentially disappeared from the public eye. He was last seen on Twitch a year ago, and his public Twitter has been silent since October last year.


The internet reacts to Jayne going missing

A lot of esports personalities, fans, and people from the Overwatch community have expressed their distress at the news. Many have reminisced about all the good Jayne did for the growth of the Overwatch community and esports in general.

Some highlighted his mental health issues as a possible sign of danger:

Friends, family, fans, and the entire esports community hopes for a swift and happy resolution to Justin's ordeal.