EDMONTON - RCMP have identified a "person of interest" in the case of a missing elderly Alberta couple - a man police described as dangerous and whom authorities said the public should not try to approach.
At a news conference Friday, police identified Travis Edward Vader as someone they are trying to locate and talk to about Lyle McCann, 78 and his wife, Marie McCann, 77, a couple who disappeared somewhere between the Edmonton area and the B.C. coast.
RCMP described Vader as a known drug user who could be in possession of firearms. He has multiple outstanding warrants, they said.
The McCanns were last seen refuelling their motorhome July 3 at about 9:30 a.m. in St. Albert, outside Edmonton.
The couple were headed to British Columbia to meet up with their daughter, but they never arrived.
Their motorhome was found engulfed in flames at a campground, but there was no sign of the couple, and the SUV they were towing behind the motorhome remains missing.
RCMP have said they are reviewing their handling of the case, and have been criticized on two fronts for their investigation.
On Tuesday, two residents in Prince George, B.C., came forward to report having seen an SUV matching the description of the McCann's vehicle. The pair left without leaving contact information. Webb said that a civilian employee at the Prince George detachment failed to record contact information from the witnesses, which would be a breach of normal RCMP procedures. After they left, Prince George RCMP released a statement asking the couple to return.
Another line of criticism has targeted a delay at the beginning of the investigation. Shortly after the couple was reported missing on July 10, RCMP revealed that the missing motorhome had been found on fire five days earlier near the Minnow Lake campground southeast of Edson, Alta. An RCMP member arriving at the scene was able to recover registration documents.
Webb says finding a burnt-out RV did not automatically result in a comprehensive investigation into the whereabouts of the owner. Registration records only reveal basic contact information. Since vehicle thefts - even of motorhomes - are not uncommon, police did not investigate extensively. Webb says what was done next will be given particular scrutiny.
"There were some steps taken trying to get in contact with the registered owner," said Webb. "This is what we're looking into; what was done next and was it done adequately?"
