Police aren’t ignoring what some people have been up to while they’ve been trying to turn up a missing kid. Hundreds of police officers and trained volunteers are involved in the search for 11-year-old Parker Wells. Meanwhile, a few “bad actors” are using AI to create or modify images and videos and, in some cases, generate entire fake reports, one of which said he was found dead. (He has not been, and the search is very much still active.) Others have gone rogue in their search, committing acts of vigilantism as they see fit. And at least one person saw the easy payday and threw together a fraudulent fundraiser. Three times in two days, police have had to turn to social media to ask members of the public to knock it off and allow them to work to locate Parker. AI fakes Police on Monday spoke of the impact AI-generated images and video are having on their investigation. Acting Staff Sgt. Scott Guterson called the fake report “despicable.” “I can’t even imagine how damaging it would be for parents to read something like that online,” Guterson said. “It must stop.” Vigilantism On Tuesday, police addressed the public again, this time asking that vigilantism be curbed. Guterson “gets” that those showing up at private homes, confronting residents or organizing their own investigations “think they’re doing the right thing.” But they’re not helping. “The reality is it takes police resources away that are far better served continuing to look for Parker,” Guterson said. Donation scams Police took to social media on Tuesday afternoon to warn of donation scams. One was on GoFundMe, briefly. It was not authorized and had no connection to Parker’s family. Police are not going to forget about these incidents. “Those are being investigated as fully and comprehensively as possible,” Guterson said. “If charges are appropriate, they absolutely will be laid.” The search Parker went missing from his day home in the 0 to 100 block of Connaught Drive N.W. sometime between 11:08 and 11:41 a.m. this past Thursday. On Tuesday, police released a map “of Parker’s known and believed route on Thursday, July 16, 2026.” Police said the map “outlines his confirmed movements captured on CCTV.” Police ask anyone in the Thorncliffe area who may have CCTV footage from Thursday to submit the footage to police through the following upload link, regardless of whether Parker is seen: https://cps.ca.evidence.com/axon/community-request/public/ca26318270 He’s 4’11” tall (150 cm) and approximately 90 pounds (41 kg) with brown hair and brown eyes. When he was last seen, Parker was shirtless, wearing dark shorts and black noise-cancelling headphones. Parker might become even more scared if confronted by strangers. If you locate Parker, you’re asked to not approach him, and to instead keep him in sight and call 911. Tips can also be submitted anonymously through Crime Stoppers. A missing person poster is available to download and print through the City of Calgary’s website.
