Search efforts are ongoing to locate a five-year-old boy who went missing near a campground in southern Alberta over the weekend. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) reported that Darius Macdougall was last spotted walking with his family in the vicinity of Crowsnest Pass, close to the Island Lake Provincial Recreation Area.
Officials have confirmed that the search operation will persist through the night, with numerous volunteer search and rescue personnel actively involved. Peter Alfred from Search and Rescue Alberta stated that teams, equipped with dogs, drones, and conducting ground searches, are tirelessly working round-the-clock from various regions of Alberta and British Columbia.
The young boy, Macdougall, along with his siblings, ventured out for a walk near their camping site, as mentioned by Alfred. However, upon the siblings’ return to the campsite, Darius was not with them. Macdougall, who is four feet tall with short brown hair, was last seen wearing a blue-grey hoodie and sweatpants, and is known to be autistic.
With favorable weather conditions in play and no reported health concerns regarding the missing child, Alfred expressed optimism about a positive resolution to the search efforts. RCMP emphasized that while community offers of help are appreciated, interference with ongoing protocols could potentially disrupt operations and compromise the search area’s integrity.
Sgt. Mark Amatto of Crowsnest Pass RCMP highlighted the importance of maintaining a clean and organized search site to maximize the chances of locating the missing boy. Expert personnel are diligently following search and rescue procedures to comprehensively cover the challenging terrain in the region.