The search for Darius: From first call to now

Update, Oct. 1: Alberta RCMP and Search and Rescue Alberta say the on-scene search has concluded after 11 days. More than 400 trained volunteers from 50 SAR teams, plus 60 RCMP Tactical Support Group officers, logged about 11,000 hours and thoroughly covered roughly 22 square kilometres, with route pushes to 12 kilometres from where Darius was last seen and more than 5,300 kilometres travelled by ground teams inside that footprint. RCMP say there is no indication of foul play. The area has reopened to the public. The investigation stays open, and teams will redeploy if new, specific information arises.

What the RCMP said Oct. 1

Cpl. Gina Slaney called the past 11 days “a comprehensive and thorough search” and thanked partner agencies.

“Upon having completed a comprehensive and thorough search of the 22 square kilometres surrounding the area where Darius was last seen, he has not been located,” said Slaney.

She listed RCMP resources used: drones, helicopter and fixed-wing aircraft, forensic identification services, police dog services, general investigation, an underwater search team and the Tactical Support Group. Provincial and municipal partners also contributed air support and crews, including Ascent Helicopters, Calgary Police HAWCS, HALO, Alberta Forestry and Wildlife Services, Conservation Officers, Fish and Wildlife, and Crowsnest Pass Fire Rescue.

Slaney said RCMP and SAR will no longer be on scene and the area is reopened, but the file remains active.

“The search for Darius is not concluding, and the investigation remains open and active. We will not stop looking for Darius,” said Slaney.

On the status of the case:

“At this point, there is zero indication that foul play is involved. We have just exhausted all search tactics,” said Slaney

Slaney added that if new, credible information comes in that points to a location, SAR will be called back: “If somebody says they saw something that could lead to where Darius is, we will absolutely redeploy."

Superintendent Rick Jané, Acting District Officer for the Southern Alberta District, spoke to the difficult conclusion reached after consultations with SAR leaders and commanders.

“This is not the outcome we wanted… The best information we have is that he is most likely still [in the area] but no longer alive, and therefore not able to call out," said Jané.

He urged the public to keep eyes open in the backcountry and to report facts, not speculation.

“We cannot rule out everything until we find Darius… This has been more intensive a search than I have ever seen. We challenged our own assumptions and left nothing to chance," said Jané.

What Search and Rescue Alberta said Oct. 1

Adam Kennedy, provincial training manager with Search and Rescue Alberta, summarized the scale and conditions:

“More than 400 SAR volunteers from 50 teams across Alberta, British Columbia and Saskatchewan answered the call… 11,000 hours of search effort on the ground," said Kennedy, “A total area of nearly 22 square kilometres was thoroughly covered, much of it multiple times. The search extended up to 12 kilometres from where Darius was last seen… Ground assets travelled more than 5,300 kilometres inside that area.”

He listed assets used: helicopters, drones, dogs, horses, swift-water teams, an underwater search team, boat-mounted sonar and off-highway vehicles. He described the terrain as steep, wet and brushy, with “high slopes, multiple waterways and thick vegetation.”

Kennedy explained why a child can still be missed despite scale and effort: “There is a lot of statistical analysis behind how far someone of Darius’s profile may travel. Teams searched out beyond what 95 per cent of similar subjects would do. There is always a five per cent tail where a person can travel significantly farther.”

On cadaver dogs, which were asked about several times this week: “As of now, no cadaver dogs have been brought in. Teams are using the appropriate dogs for the scent profile we expect. As expectations change, different dogs may be engaged," said Kennedy.

How tactics changed during the week

Officials detailed why and how methods changed as days passed:

• Noise and lights adapted for autism: “There were considerations given the neurodivergency,” Kennedy said earlier in the week. “We avoided loud noises that could push him away. At night, police used flashing lights along roads to draw him in. We also used a song identified by the family as appealing to him.”

• From infrared to cameras: As survivability estimates decreased, air crews shifted tools. “We will change the use of some of the infrared technologies, on the assumption they will not pick up heat signatures. The change is to camera-based searching of the ground,” Kennedy said.

• Grid and shoulder-to-shoulder sweeps: RCMP Tactical Support Group officers were added to perform “shoulder to shoulder” searches in the last known area. “They are trained to search for even the smallest piece of evidence,” Slaney said.

• Water checked multiple times: Swift-water teams re-searched creeks. Underwater teams and boat sonar checked ponds and pools in clear conditions. Earlier, Kennedy said divers were “very confident” in their detection in the primary ponds.

• Airspace controls: A NAV Canada NOTAM restricted hobby drones over the site so RCMP aircraft and search drones could operate safely.

• Equine SAR and expansion: Horse teams were added as the footprint pushed into rougher ground. Average search radius grew from 3–4 kilometres mid-week to about 5 kilometres, with route pushes to 8–10 kilometres, and later to 12 kilometres in some directions.

What changed on Sept. 28 and why it mattered

On Sunday, Sept. 28, RCMP and SAR briefed the family that survivability was below five per cent based on time, weather and terrain and on comparisons with large data sets of past searches.

“At the point we are at, the survivability is less than five per cent,” Slaney said. Kennedy added that tactics were being refocused, not scaled back, and that some tools like infrared would be used differently.

Dog teams continued to work with adjusted methods for a subject who might not respond. Surface and underwater assets were tasked to recheck priority areas.

Clarifying what did not change

RCMP has been clear on two points:

1. No evidence of foul play.

“There is nothing to indicate foul play,” Slaney said again on Oct. 1. Questions about vehicles and other leads are part of “covering all avenues,” not a sign of a change in theory.

2. The case remains a missing child investigation.

Interviews with the children and relatives who were present “did not reveal anything that would make us believe anything else happened other than he went missing in that area,” Slaney said.

Where the family camped and what locals should know

RCMP confirmed the family was camped south of Highway 3 in the Livingstone Public Land Use Zone, down 10th Mountain Road, in a provincial recreation area south of the highway. The last known point was just under three kilometres south of Highway 3.

Officials repeatedly asked residents, visitors and hunters to stay out of search zones when they were active, to avoid safety risks and to protect small clues. On Sept. 27, an injured hiker near the area was long-lined out, which police used to underline the risk in the terrain. With the site now reopened, police ask anyone in the backcountry to keep their eyes open and to report anything relevant.

Superintendent Jané put it plainly: “It may be a hunter. It may be a person out recreating. We would really encourage people to keep their eyes open in that area and to tell us what they personally observed.”

Support for the family and responders

Victim Family Liaison Officers will continue to brief the family. Earlier in the week officials said the family had access to food, fuel, showers and laundry, and that they had asked for privacy. RCMP noted peer support and chaplaincy for officers. SAR teams have on-site peer mentors backed by mental-health professionals.

By the numbers

• 11 days on scene

• 22 km² covered thoroughly, much of it more than once

• Up to 12 km from last known point in some directions

• 5,300 km travelled by ground teams within the footprint

• 400+ trained SAR volunteers from 50 teams

• 60 RCMP Tactical Support Group officers

• About 11,000 volunteer hours

• Assets: helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft, drones, dogs, horses, swift-water and underwater teams, boat-mounted sonar, off-highway vehicles

What happens now

• The on-scene search is demobilized. The area is open.

• The investigation continues. Tips and new facts will be evaluated.

• If credible information points to a location, RCMP will call SAR back.

• Residents and visitors in the Livingstone PLUZ and nearby backcountry are asked to report what they see, not rumours.

The full story follows.

As of September 30, the search for six year old Darius Macdougall has grown from an urgent campground sweep into a multi-jurisdiction effort spanning days, harsh terrain and evolving tactics. RCMP and Search and Rescue Alberta say the mission is not scaling back, even as strategies shift.

What happened and the first response

Darius was last seen on Sept. 21. He was walking a short distance from a campsite with young relatives when he became separated and did not return. The family searched, then called 911. Southwest Alberta Search and Rescue and RCMP launched immediate ground and shoreline searches while interviews began with those who were with the child.

Early briefings emphasized “areas of probability,” with fine grid work by ground teams, shoulder to shoulder checks under logs and root balls, and quick shoreline sweeps of creeks and ponds. RCMP confirmed Darius is autistic and verbal. Search tactics were adapted from the start with that in mind.

Scale and resources

Sept. 23: 82 ground search and rescue members on scene from Alberta and British Columbia, with drones flying overnight and helicopters available.

Sept. 24: About 68 trained GSAR on the ground that day and roughly 100 total personnel involved, with multiple drones, helicopter support and underwater and swift-water capacity.

Sept. 25: About 120 personnel, average radius near 4 kilometres, with some routes extended to roughly 8 kilometres; software added to analyze drone video for small anomalies.

Sept. 26: RCMP added about 60 Tactical Support Group officers to supplement ground teams; five drones flew alongside the RCMP helicopter; equine search and rescue deployed for newly identified terrain; personnel grew to about 120 with additional resources arriving from Saskatchewan.

Sept. 27: About 225 personnel on scene, including 128 trained SAR Alberta volunteers from Alberta, B.C. and Saskatchewan. Alberta Health Services engaged to provide medical support to responders.

Sept. 28: About 200 personnel, including about 100 SAR Alberta volunteers, with surface and underwater assets rechecking areas.

Agencies have included RCMP Air Services and Police Dog Services, the Civil Air Search and Rescue Association, Alberta Conservation Officers, Alberta Sheriffs including Fish and Wildlife and Highway Patrol, Canada Task Force 2 logistics, and municipal partners from the Crowsnest Pass.

Tactics on land and in the air

Because Darius may not respond to his name, crews avoided loudspeakers and other loud noises that could push him away. At night, RCMP vehicles with emergency lights ran along nearby roads to try to draw him out. Ground teams and drones used sounds identified by the family as appealing to him, including a favourite song, which officials did not identify publicly.

Drones and helicopters were used both day and night. Thermal and night vision systems supported overnight work. By Sept. 28, air crews began relying more on cameras than infrared, aligned with the updated survivability assessment. Dog teams remain in use with tactics adjusted to a subject who may not respond.

Waterways were searched repeatedly. Underwater teams reported high confidence in earlier checks within the primary search area. Swift-water crews continued along creeks and streams as the search footprint shifted.

By mid-week, the average radius grew from about 3 kilometres to about 5 kilometres, with some route pushes out to roughly 10 kilometres. Managers reported about seven square kilometres thoroughly searched more than once.

Public safety, access and information

A NAV Canada notice restricts recreational drones over the search area to keep the airspace clear for RCMP aircraft and operational drones. Alberta Sheriffs are assisting near Highway 3 and at staging to manage access. On Sept. 27, an unrelated injured hiker was long-lined out near the area, underscoring the risk of the terrain and the need to keep the public out of search zones.

Officials asked residents and visitors, including hunters, to avoid the search area. A public information centre was opened in Coleman at the Crowsnest Sports Complex curling lounge to let locals who know the backcountry review maps and suggest potential safe or hiding places. The maps are available there rather than on site or online to keep people away from the search footprint.

The investigation

RCMP general investigators and forensic child interviewers spoke with the children who were present. RCMP say there is no evidence of foul play and the criteria for an Amber Alert have not been met. Investigators continue to assess all tips and avenues. The family is from Lethbridge and has requested privacy. Victim family liaison officers are with the family.

RCMP confirmed the family camped south of Highway 3 in the Livingstone Public Land Use Zone down Tent Mountain Road, in a provincial recreation area south of the highway.

Morale, health and support

Officials say morale has been affected by the passage of time, but searchers continue with determination. Peer support and chaplaincy are in place for RCMP members; SAR teams have on-site peer mentors backed by mental health professionals. Alberta Health Services is supporting responder medical needs, and Canada Task Force 2 has assisted with logistics.

Sunday update and what comes next

On Sept. 28, RCMP and SAR said survivability has dropped below five per cent based on weather, terrain, time elapsed and statistical analysis of similar searches. Leaders emphasized this is a refocus, not a scale-back. Tactics continue to adjust while surface and underwater assets revisit key areas. Daily virtual updates have been scheduled at 2:30 p.m, with no availability Monday or Tuesday.

Anyone with information regarding Darius  is asked to call the Crowsnest Pass RCMP at 403 562 2866 or call Crime Stoppers at 1 800 222 8477