This map shows key locations in the police investigation into the disappearance of Nathan O’Brien, Kathryn Faye Liknes and Alvin Cecil Liknes.


 

Timeline

Here’s a timeline of events in the investigation, with links to more information.


June 30 – Disappearance of Calgary boy, 5, grandparents being treated as 'suspicious'

Police issue an Amber Alert for five-year-old Nathan O’Brien and his maternal grandparents Kathryn Faye Liknes, 53, and Alvin Cecil Liknes, 66.

The trio went missing over the weekend as the grandparents held an estate sale at their home.

Police say they didn’t initially issue an Amber Alert because they didn’t have a description of a suspected abductor or a vehicle, but then changed their minds.

“We have no information to go on at this time, and that’s the reason we’re reaching out to the public,” says police spokesman Kevin Brookwell.


July 1 – Calgary police: Missing boy, grandparents 'did not leave on their own volition'

Police say they’re concerned for the safety of Nathan O’Brien and his grandparents, and fear that “foul play” was involved in their disappearance.

Calgary police spokesman Duty Insp. Keith Cain says the grandparents’ house showed signs they “did not leave on their own volition.”


July 2 – Missing Calgary boy's family issues emotional plea for their 'superhero'

The parents of five-year-old Nathan O’Brien issue a public plea for the return of their son and the boy’s maternal grandparents Kathryn Faye Liknes and Alvin Cecil Liknes.

Rod O’Brien, Nathan’s father, asks that “whoever has Nathan, to find it in your heart to drop off our little angel … to where he can be rescued and reunited with his family.”


July 3 – Calgary police 'confident' they'll find missing boy, grandparents

Police Staff Sgt. Doug Andrus says the grandparents were in the process of moving out of their Calgary home, and held an estate sale the same weekend they went missing.

Investigators appeal to anyone who attended the estate sale on June 28-29 to speak to police.


Jul 4 – 'Violent incident' took place at Calgary home in missing family case

Police confirm a “violence incident” took place in the southwest Calgary home where grandparents Kathryn Faye Liknes and Alvin Cecil Liknes were with five-year-old Nathan O’Brien.

In a chilling remark, Staff Sgt. Doug Andrus says evidence at the scene indicates someone would be in “medical distress.”

Police also say they want to speak to the driver of a green truck captured on surveillance video.


July 7 – Who is Douglas Garland, 'person of interest' in Calgary Amber Alert case?

More details emerge on Douglas Garland, described by police as a “person of interest” in the case.

On July 7, Garland appears in court on unrelated charges stemming from his use of a false identity in the 1990s, when he lived in British Columbia.


July 8 – Several different leads in Amber Alert case: Calgary police

Calgary police spokesman Kevin Brookwell confirms Douglas Garland’s sister is in a relationship with a member of the Liknes family.

Brookwell also says Garland isn’t the only “person of interest” in the case.

Investigators hold out hope that Nathan O’Brien, Kathryn Faye Liknes and Alvin Cecil Liknes will be found alive, and an Amber Alert remains in effect.


July 9 – Police search Calgary dump in connection with missing, boy, grandparents

Police search a municipal dump in northwest Calgary in connection with the missing persons case.

Meanwhile, person of interest Douglas Garland appears in court via closed-circuit camera on an identity-theft charge unrelated to the missing persons case. Lawyers agree to his release, but Garland must remain in custody until he can prove he has a permanent address.


July 10 – Police search second dump in case of missing boy, grandparents

Police descend on a second Calgary landfill to search for clues into the missing persons case. Officials say some items have been taken from the dump sites for analysis, but it’s not clear if they are relevant to the case.

Investigators searching a rural property north of Calgary confirm that a “quantity of chemicals” was found at the farm in Airdrie. Police say it’s too early to speculate on whether the chemicals are part of “typical farm operation” or are being “used for something else.”


July 11 – Douglas Garland released on $750 bail

Douglas Garland, still a “person of interest” in the investigation, is released from police custody on $750 bail. Garland had been charged with two counts related to identity fraud and possessing a stolen credit card.


July 12 – Police once again search home of missing Calgary grandparents

Police said they would search the home of the grandparents once again, and continue to search through a Calgary landfill and a rural property north of Calgary.


July 13 – Calgary police finish final sweep of missing couple's home

Police make a final sweep of the grandparents’ Calgary home.

Police say they're also continuing to search a northwest Calgary landfill and a rural property and some of its surrounding lands near Airdrie, north of Calgary.


July 14 – Man to face murder charges in case of missing Calgary boy, grandparents; bodies not found

Police arrest a man in connection to the disappearance of Nathan O’Brien, Kathryn Liknes and Alvin Liknes. Police say the man will face two first-degree murder charges and one second-degree murder charge, but say the man’s identity cannot be revealed until he is formally charged.

 

With files from CTV Calgary's Bill Macfarlane