‘Anything can help’: Family of missing Alberta man asks for public’s help as RCMP deems disappearance suspicious

Carter Rodgers (Credit: RCMP)

The family of Carter Rodgers, who was reported missing after his car crashed into a ditch on Feb. 14, says they are desperate for any inkling of information about what happened to him.

Carter is a 20-year-old from Lubicon Lake First Nation who grew up in Devon, Alta. It was from Devon that he embarked on his first-ever solo road trip to Rocky Mountain House to visit a friend on Valentine’s Day.

“He’s never gone that way before, and he’s never driven that far on his own because he just recently got his licence,” his 18-year-old sister, Satira, told CTV News Edmonton earlier this week.

She recounts him calling their mom after the car, a blue 2025 Honda Civic the family shared, crashed into a ditch during the trip.

“But the phone cut off because of spotty connection, and she didn’t hear back again,” Satira said.

The next day, the car would be found burned on an oil lease road on O’Chiese First Nation. Carter was nowhere to be found.

Since then, the family says they haven’t heard of any leads. The siblings’ dad has organized search parties in bitterly cold weather on top of an RCMP investigation, but Satira says the family hasn’t found anything.

“It’s really difficult because everybody has work and school. We’re a busy family, so it’s difficult because a lot of us can’t really handle it,” she added.

“It’s been really hard to just be waiting on anything. We have really no idea how any of this happened. It’s very confusing.”

The Alberta RCMP Major Crimes Unit has taken over the investigation into Carter’s disappearance. The circumstances are suspicious, a spokesperson said, but no other updates can be revealed right now.

“I need to be cognizant that anything I say with regards to suspects or witnesses is also being communicated to those suspects so unfortunately I am unable to elaborate on those parts of the investigation,” Cpl. Troy Savinkoff told CTV News Edmonton this week.

Satira says her brother is well-known in Devon and had just gotten a well-paying, full-time job with Legend Oilfield Services in town.

“He’s really close to a lot of people in Devon, we’ve grown up there. A lot of people know him by name. He’s gone to school there. He’s worked different jobs there, some of them in community service,” Satira said, adding that her brother is trying to save up to go back to school.

Carter is described as being five-feet-two-inches tall, 160 pounds and having a medium complexion with black hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing a black Metal Militia toque, white tank top and a black and white dress shirt.

Police have asked anyone who saw or interacted with Carter on Feb. 14 or 15, or who has information on his whereabouts, to contact Rocky Mountain House RCMP at 403-845-2881 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

“We just want anyone that has heard anything or seen anything to say something to somebody,” Satira said. “We just know that anything can help, and we don’t have a lot of information.”