2010-07-16 RCMP find SUV belonging to missing Alberta seniors | National Post
Published by Bretton McCann,
RCMP find SUV belonging to missing Alberta seniors
Postmedia News | July 16, 2010 | Last Updated: Jul 16 10:03 PM ET
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By Bradley Bouzane
The search to find out what happened to an elderly couple from Alberta intensified on Friday, with RCMP announcing they have found the seniors’ SUV and identified a "person of interest" in their disappearance.
Authorities named Travis Edward Vader, 38, right, as someone they are trying to locate to talk to about Lyle McCann, 78, and wife Marie McCann, 77, who vanished after leaving the Edmonton area while bound for the B.C. coast ealier this month.
RCMP described Vader as dangerous and said members of the public should not approach him. They said he is a known drug user who could be in possession of firearms. He has multiple outstanding warrants on weapons charges, police said.
"A person of interest might be a witness, it might be someone who becomes a suspect . . . or becomes an accused," said RCMP Assistant Commissioner Peter Hourihan, adding that Vader has been "of interest" for the past 24 hours.
"It’s a person we feel has information that can provide us with information to further this investigation."
According to B.C. court documents, Vader faced several charges in January 2009 in the northeastern city of Fort Nelson, including unauthorized possession of a firearm, resisting or obstructing a peace officer and mischief of $5,000 or under.
He also has a lengthy criminal record in Alberta, dating back to 1995 with 12 separate sets of charges, including careless use of a firearm, possession of stolen property and arson.
Vader’s sister, Alicia, said that her family has not heard from Vader and does not expect to.
"Our hearts go out to the McCann family and we hope these developments lead to finding them," she said. "We can only hope and pray that he is just a person of interest at this point and that the McCann’s will be found safe."
Police also announced Friday that they had found the couple’s missing SUV.
Sgt. Tim Taniguchi of Edmonton RCMP said the SUV was found 30 kilometres east of Edson, Alta., near Carrot Creek.
"The area around the vehicle is considered a crime scene — how big that area is, we can’t say right now," he said. "It’s too early to say what condition the vehicle is in or if the McCanns are somewhere nearby."
Investigators were on site and a forensic examination of the vehicle was underway, police said in a news release.
The McCanns’ son said Friday that the discovery is a positive development.
"There is obviously some sense of trepidation but we consider it just one step closer to finding our parents," said Bret McCann on Friday.
Bret said his family does not know what to make of the police "person of interest."
"I can’t remember my parents ever mentioning his name and no one in the family seems to recognize it either," he said. "But our paths wouldn’t have crossed if he was from Niton Junction."
The McCanns were last seen refuelling their motorhome, which was towing the SUV, on July 3 at about 9:30 a.m. in St. Albert, outside Edmonton.
The couple were headed to British Columbia to meet up with their daughter, but they never arrived.
The McCannns’ motorhome was found engulfed in flames at a campground, but there was no sign of the couple or the SUV.
"We don’t believe any particular (scenario), but we suspect foul play. Everybody can draw their own conclusions," Hourihan told reporters.
"This is completely out of character (for the couple) not to have contacted their daughter … and arrived on time. We assume the worst and hope for the best."
On a Facebook page under Vader’s name, he is pictured with a young girl in his profile photograph and is described as a self-employed drilling consultant.
A brief biography box under the photo reads: "Life is great there is so much to learn and experiance (sic) the next 30 years are going to be awsome (sic)."
Hourihan said police are asking for help in finding Vader, whose Facebook profile lists his hometown as Summerland, B.C.
"We don’t know where Mr. Vader is right now, and we need the public’s help in trying to locate him," Hourihan said.
"We need the public also to know that Mr. Vader should be considered dangerous and that any sightings of him should be reported to police immediately and he should not be approached."
Roy Getson said he and Vader grew up in the same town — a small hamlet in west-Central Alberta called Niton Junction.
Getson said Vader was a nice guy who like to go hunting. But he also had a reputation in town for being a "fighter."
"That was well known about him," Getson said. "If he got to a bar, he’d get into a fight."
In the 1990s, Vader worked for Getson’s father at a sawmill, piling lumber and doing logging, he said.
Getson said he hasn’t kept in touch with Vader since the man moved to B.C. a few years ago. He said he instantly recognized
Vader in the photo released by police. "It’s kind of a shock," he said.
The latest break came after several days of criticism over how the RCMP have handled the McCanns’ disappearance.
Hourihan said a review has been launched of the police investigation, and one RCMP member has been placed on administrative duty.
Shortly after the couple was reported missing on July 10, RCMP revealed that the missing motorhome had been found on fire five days earlier near the Minnow Lake campground southeast of Edson, Alta. The delay in starting a missing-persons investigation has been one source of the public criticism.
Then, on Tuesday, two residents in Prince George, B.C., came forward to report having seen an SUV matching the description of the McCann’s vehicle. The pair left without leaving contact information.
Sgt. Patrick Webb said a civilian employee at the Prince George detachment failed to record contact information from the witnesses, which would be a breach of normal RCMP procedures.
Police managed to reach them again later.
"I think a couple of mistakes have been made and I don’t mean to minimize those mistakes in any way, shape or form," Hourihan said Friday.
"We have some of the best investigators we have to offer on this . . . and they’re working very closely with the family and, in that overall perspective, I think we’re doing everything we can, in spite of the fact we might have made a mistake at the beginning."
With files from Doug Quan, Postmedia News Service, Global News, Edmonton Journal, Vancouver Province and Vancouver Sun
