Calgary police have charged Douglas Garland with two counts of first degree murder and one count of second degree murder in connection with their investigation into the disappearance of a five-year-old boy and his grandparents more than two weeks ago.
Garland, 54, had been named a person of interest in the disappearances and arrested last week, but was charged in an unrelated case and released.
Garland was re-arrested very early Monday in a field not far from the Airdrie property owned by his parents where police spent days searching for clues about the missing family. He had been staying at a local hotel as part of his bail conditions stemming from the unrelated charge, but had been asked to leave.
Early Tuesday, Garland was led into a police processing centre in handcuffs. He did not answer reporters’ questions as he was led into the centre, CTV’s Katie Simpson reported.
The first-degree murder charges relate to the grandparents, Kathryn and Alvin Liknes, while the charge of second-degree murder has been laid in relation to their grandson, Nathan O’Brien, police said in a news release Tuesday.
In court documents, police allege that Garland killed the family members “on or around June 30” -- the same day they were reported missing.
The victims’ bodies have not been found, and police are asking residents to come forward with any information they may have.
“Rural property and business owners are asked to please search their properties for anything suspicious,” police said.
A group of volunteers has started walking through rural properties in Airdrie in hopes of advancing the search.
Emma Kerr, who lives two farms away from the property where Garland lived with his parents, said police have knocked on her door three times already.
“They were looking for anything related to evidence,” she told CTV News. “They told us they would just take it and we said: ‘Go for it.’”
Although police have yet to find the victims, “The preponderance of evidence is such that it has led our investigators to believe that they are dead," Calgary Police Chief Rick Hanson said Monday.
Hanson told CTV Morning Live in Calgary Tuesday that he is confident a property owner or someone out for a hike will “see something unusual.
“We will be relentless on this. We know how important it is not only for the family but the community to have closure to this by identifying and locating the bodies,” he said.
Nathan and his grandparents were last seen two weeks ago, when the boy was visiting for a sleepover. When his mother arrived to collect him the next morning, the three family members were gone.
Police have confirmed that Garland has a connection to the Liknes family. His sister is in a relationship with a Liknes family member.
Investigators continue to look into Garland’s criminal past. He spent six months in jail for drug trafficking and stands accused of stealing the identity of a 14-year-old boy from British Columbia who died in a car crash.
Garland is due to appear in court on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, neighbours, friends and strangers have been dropping off flowers, teddy bears and cards in front of the Liknes home. Many of them told reporters they didn’t know the family, but wanted to show their support.
With a report from CTV’s Katie Simpson in Calgary
