EDMONTON — The family of an Alberta couple missing for more than a month plans to ask the public for money to augment RCMP search efforts.
Lyle and Marie McCann were last seen July 3, two days before their motor home was found burning in the bush near Edson, Alta.
Speaking outside court, where a man RCMP call a person of interest in their parents’ disappearance was to have made an appearance on unrelated charges, Bret McCann said donations could fund more intensive searches or a reward for information.
“We’re thinking of a number of things. It could be assisting on the search,” said McCann. “We really want to work in conjunction with the RCMP on this.”
McCann said the family plans to meet with people who know the country where the burning motor home was found.
“There may be some probable sites that could be searched. We want to build up a fund to help us explore every avenue.”
A trust account will be set up at TD Bank, McCann said.
Although family members hope to bring new resources to the search, McCann said they remain pleased with the police effort and just got an update from one of the detectives.
“He said the investigation was on solid ground and proceeding well. Our whole family was there and we took a lot of reassurance from that.”
The McCanns, both in their 70s, were towing a Hyundai Tucson SUV behind their motor home when they disappeared. They were last seen gassing up their RV in their hometown of St. Albert, just north of Edmonton, before heading toward British Columbia for a family camping trip.
The motor home was found two days later about 200 kilometres west of Edmonton — minus the SUV. It was found July 16 off a bush trail about 30 kilometres east of Edson, near Carrot Creek. On that same day RCMP announced they were looking for Travis Vader as a “person of interest”’ in the couple’s disappearance
Police arrested Vader three days later, early in the morning at an isolated residence east of Edson. The RCMP have said they still think he has information about what happened to the couple, but he has not been charged in that case.
Vader did not appear in court Tuesday, frustrating the McCann family’s attempt to get a look at him. Vader’s sister was in court, although the two families did not speak.
Vader is being held on charges unrelated to the McCann’s disappearance — two counts related to failure to live by bail conditions and one on failing to appear for a court date. His next court date is Aug. 26.