As the search for a missing St. Albert couple continues, the family is taking the effort into its own hands with searches around where the pair’s missing vehicles have been found.
Lyle and Marie McCann were last seen on July 3 leaving St. Albert for a vacation in B.C. When they failed to arrive on July 10 in Abbotsford, their family contacted the RCMP in both provinces.
The couple's burned-out motorhome was found near the Minnow Lake Campground in the Edson area July 5. An SUV they had been towing was found July 16.
That same day police identified Travis Edward Vader as a person of interest. He was arrested on outstanding warrants July 19 and is now considered a suspect.
Bret McCann, the couple's son, said they have spent the past two weekends searching Crown lands in the areas around where both vehicles were found and plan to continue until the first snowfall.
“The police can't be everywhere and we are trying to help them by doing our own search,” he said. “We are trying to carefully go down every road and every place we think a vehicle might have gone through.”
He said the police are searching properties based on their investigation, but the family's search is more general.
“Where they are searching is based on their investigation. They are talking to people and following up on leads. We don't have the benefit of that information,” he said. “We can just put together sort of plausible scenarios about where the motorhome or the SUV might have been driven.”
He said they have photographed tire tracks and other indications that might be useful and forwarded them onto police.
The family also has set up a $60,000 reward for any information in the case, that can be accessed through Crime Stoppers. The police are looking for anyone who might have seen the SUV, the motorhome, the McCanns or Vader during that period in early July.
The family also has a Facebook page with information about the disappearance. McCann said if people wanted to help with the search, they could contact the family through that page.
Anyone with any information on the case can contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or the St. Albert RCMP at 780-458-7700.
