‘Still very, very hopeful’: Search for 5-year-old Alberta boy enters third day

The search for five-year-old Darius Macdougall, missing in the Crowsnest Pass area, went into its third day on Tuesday.

Officials say they’re continually expanding the search area they’re focused on as they look for a five-year-old Alberta boy who went missing while camping with his family over the weekend.

Darius Macdougall was reported missing on Sunday at 11:30 a.m.

He was last seen walking with his family near Island Lake Campground in southern Alberta — about four kilometres south of Crowsnest Pass and 150 kilometres west of Lethbridge.

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Officials say Macdougall went out for a walk with six of his siblings but became separated from them.

Speaking at a Tuesday news conference, Adam Kennedy from the Search and Rescue Association of Alberta said they are still “quite positive” Macdougall will be located.

“We are still in the stage right now where we are still very, very hopeful,” he said. “There’s no talk on the ground of anything other than a positive outcome.”

Kennedy said that while he appreciates that the public wants to help searchers, there are multiple reasons why they haven’t enlisted any volunteers.

“It is hazardous terrain,” he explained. “We don’t always know the capacity of incoming volunteers, so there’s the potential that if they become injured then we have to reroute some of our resources on the ground to (help them.)”

He said statistically speaking, there’s also a higher probability of success if they rely on trained professionals for the search instead of getting help from the public.

Professionals from multiple agencies are involved in search efforts, including teams from Alberta and British Columbia.

The search teams are also being aided by drones with thermal imaging, dogs and helicopters.

Family ‘distraught and concerned’: police

Alberta RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Gina Slaney said they have been in continual contact with the family, including the other siblings Macdougall was with when he disappeared.

“We have child forensic interviewers that know how to appropriately interview children,” she said. “You never know, the smallest tidbit of information from one of those family members might be able to assist us.”

When asked if foul play had been ruled out, Slaney said they’re covering all investigative avenues.

“At this point there’s no indication that foul play is involved in this, but again, we keep our investigations very broad at this point, and we’re looking at every single possibility.”

She said the boy’s family, from Lethbridge, is very “distraught and concerned.”

“We’re doing what we can for them. They’re asking for privacy at this time; they’re not interested in doing any interviews — their main concern is concentrating on the search for their child," she said.

Macdougall is described as four feet tall with short brown hair, and he was last seen wearing a blue/grey hoodie and sweats.

RCMP say the boy has autism, which may prevent him from responding to others.