‘Shoulder-to-shoulder search’ for 6-year-old Alberta boy missing for nearly a week

The search for a missing six-year-old Alberta boy is now in its seventh day, with more than 200 searchers looking for Darius Macdougall in a forested area in the Crowsnest Pass.

“I want to stress that we are not scaling back the search,” Alberta RCMP Cpl. Gina Slaney said during a Saturday media availability.

She said 60 officers with the RCMP Tactical Support Group have now joined the investigation, doing a “shoulder-to-shoulder search” to find Macdougall, or any sign of his whereabouts.

“These officers are trained to search for even the smallest piece of evidence,” she said. “They’re re-searching the area where Darius was last believed to be.”

The search for Macdougall, who police have said has autism and may not respond to his name, began last Sunday, when he was reported missing after he didn’t return from a walk with six non-adult family members near a campsite at Island Lake Campground, located near the Alberta-B.C. boundary.

To aid with the search, a public information centre has been set up by the Municipality of Crowsnest Pass in the Crowsnest Sports Complex, where maps of the search site are available.

‘If you think you know the area very well and you might know potential hiding places, safe places, this is an opportunity … for you to go have a look at these maps, and point out potential areas, tips that you think might be beneficial to the investigation,” Slaney said.

Adam Kennedy with Alberta Search and Rescue said more than 200 personnel are now involved in the search, including searchers from Alberta, British Columbia and Saskatchewan.

“Search dogs, a helicopter, and drones with infrared cameras continue to be used, and analysis of previous drone footage is also ongoing,” he said.

He said additional provincial personnel include searchers from Alberta Fish and Wildlife and the Alberta Sheriffs, as well as RCMP air services and the Tactical Support Group.

He thanked members of the public for expressing interest in joining the search, but insisted that efforts on the ground be left to trained professionals.

Slaney also said recreational drones are currently prohibited from flying over the search area.

“If we have other things flying in the air that aren’t supposed to be there, that could actually inhibit our search efforts,” she said. “So we have to be very careful with the airspace around the search scene.”

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