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It's been more than five month since Lyle and Marie McCann went missing. The elderly couple was last seen leaving St. Albert for a holiday back in July. To show some support, the St. Albert Seniors Club invited the couple's family to a holiday event on Thursday.

"It's gonna be tough for them now at Christmas time, but knowing them, I know they'll pull through alright," said family friend Ray Sampert.

The couple's family began a ground search in late September around Nojack, located about 150 kilometres west of Edmonton where the McCann's burned-out motorhome and SUV were found on two separate occasions in July.

Photos

The son of Lyle and Marie McCann, Bret McCann, speaks at a Christmas lunch in St. Albert.

Searchers scoured the land on ATVs, looking for anything that could lead to the whereabouts of Lyle and Marie who have been missing since they left on a holiday in their motorhome in July.

Travis Vader is the lone suspect named in the case.

The couple's children say they are trying to celebrate the holidays the way Lyle and Marie would have wanted it.

"They wouldn't want us obsessed or seized with grief forever. They'd like us to move on," said the couple's son, Bret McCann. 

The family is doing what they can to fight through the pain.

"We know that something happened to my parents. We know that they're not going to come back," said Bret.

Bret says what the family is searching for now is some closure.

"We need to know what happened to them, so we can all move on in our minds," he said.

Police say they are making progress in the case.

"Every day we're getting closer. We continue to get tips in. We continue to follow up," said Sgt. Tim Taniguchi with the RCMP "K" Division.

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