Calgary police say they're confident they will find a missing five-year-old boy and his grandparents who mysteriously disappeared early this week.
Staff Sgt. Doug Andrus said police are still in the early stages of the investigation and there is plenty of information to comb though.
"We're very confident that we're going to find these family members, and we're hoping that we're going to find them alive," Andrus told reporters during a news conference on Thursday afternoon. "These people disappeared under suspicious circumstances … but again, we're keeping an open mind and we're hoping that we'll find them alive."
Nathan O'Brien and his grandparents, Alvin and Kathy Liknes, have been missing since Monday. Nathan had been staying with his grandparents at their southwest Calgary home over the weekend. When his mother went to the house on Monday morning, none of them were there.
The grandparents were in the process of moving out of their home and held an estate sale the weekend they disappeared.
Police will be stationed at a Calgary community centre until 10 p.m. on Thursday where they will be speaking to potential witnesses.
Investigators are appealing to anyone who attended the estate sale on June 28-29 to speak to police.
As of Thursday afternoon, Andrus said as many as 30 individuals have come forward. Investigators have estimated that up to 300 individuals attended the sale.
"Anyone could have information that's pertinent to the investigation," Andrus said. "We don't know that until we've had a chance to talk to them."
Police are asking anyone who bought anything at the sale to bring in a photo of the items purchased.
Investigators are hoping to narrow down what was sold at the estate sale to determine if any additional items are missing from the residence.
Andrus said police do not yet know if the disappearance was a "random" event and investigators have not speculated on any motive at this point.
However, Andrus did say that the disappearance is "less of a mystery today", than it was 24 hours ago.
Meanwhile, an Amber Alert remains in effect as the search for Nathan and his grandparents continues.
Police said they have received more than 100 tips from across Canada. Investigators are also reviewing security camera footages from area homes and businesses.
A number of messages of support for the family have also come in from across the country via the blog www.nathankathyalvin.com.
The website includes information about how people can contact police with a tip.
Anyone with information is asked to call police at 403-266-1234 or contact Crime Stoppers anonymously by calling 1-800-222-8477 or by visiting calgarycrimestoppers.org.
