🚨 NEW FOOTAGE OF MISSING 11-YEAR-OLD PARKER HAS JUST EMERGED… AND ONE UNEXPECTED DETAIL IS NOW DRIVING THE INVESTIGATION FORWARD
A MASSIVE search is underway for a nonverbal autistic boy who vanished on Thursday and was spotted walking alone and missing some of his clothes.
Police in Alberta, Canada are tracking 11-year-old Parker’s last known movements and using his interests, like Disney music, to try and draw him out as the search for him nears a week.
Parker, an 11-year-old nonverbal autistic child from Calgary disappeared on ThursdayCredit: Handout
Hours after he was seen leaving his day home, Parker was spotted walking past another home shirtless with shorts, sneakers and noise-canceling headphonesCredit: Calgary Police Service
Parker, a non-verbal autistic boy, was last seen at his day home in Cambrian Heights on Thursday sometime between 11:08am and 11:41am, according to the Calgary Police Service.
Articles of clothing believed to belong to the child were found roughly a mile away from where he was last seen.
Police said they have received around 90 tips and are increasingly focused on areas connected to the 11-year-old’s last known reported sightings and movements.
Officials are also utilizing information provided by Parker’s family about his behaviors and interests to guide the search effort.
“As part of those efforts, officers have been playing some of Parker’s favourite Disney songs from patrol vehicles and other search resources in areas where search operations are taking place,” Calgary police said.
More than 300 members of the Calgary Police Service have assisted in the search effort, with police going door-to-door in nearby neighborhoods.
Officers have been reviewing and continue to review around 50 hours of CCTV footage, dashcam footage and home security cameras.
The search has also included help from the canine unit, mountain bike unit, air support unit and mounted patrol team and around 120 trained search volunteers joined in on Sunday.
“Since he went missing, our family has been living every parent’s worst nightmare,” Parker’s family said in a statement to the Calgary Herald.
“Every hour that passes without knowing where he is or whether he is safe has been incredibly difficult for us.”
Acting Staff Sgt. Scott Guterson has asked if anyone finds Parker to not approach him and call 911 to not scare himCredit: CBC News
The search efforts have brought in over 300 members of the Calgary Police Service in addition to search volunteers, the canine unit, mountain bike unit and air support unitCredit: CBC News
Police have asked locals to check their properties thoroughly for Parker, including their garages, backyard, sheds, swimming pools, hot tubs, under their decks and any place where a child might hide or seek shelter.
“Check every nook and cranny of your property … be constantly aware the little guy is still out there,” Acting Staff Sgt. Scott Guterson said.
Locals have been asked to upload their CCTV and security cam footage online only if Parker is observed in the footage and to share the missing person poster to spread awareness.
An Amber Alert was issued for the missing boy two days after Parker went missing, which has caused some outrage among locals who have called for revision to the system.
Typically, Parker’s disappearance would not meet the legal requirements for an Amber Alert to be issued as Guterson said there has been no indication that the boy was abducted.
However, officials made an exception because of the “unique circumstances of this investigation,” Global News reported.
An Amber Alert can only be issued by police in Alberta if four pieces of criteria have been met, such as there must be a child or adult with a proven mental or physical disability who has been abducted and the person is in danger of death or serious harm.
The other two bits of criteria that need to be met are having enough descriptive information to help the public identify the missing person, mode of transportation or abductor, and having a reasonable expectation that the abductee could be returned or the abductor could be apprehended.
Jennifer Ball, the mother of a non-verbal autistic child, told the Calgary Herald there is no alert like an Amber Alert for those with developmental difficulties to have gone missing.
“There is currently no equivalent emergency notification for vulnerable individuals who may not have been abducted but who are still in immediate danger due to conditions such as autism, intellectual disabilities, dementia, or other medical or developmental challenges,” she said.
“If my son were ever to wander, every minute would matter. He cannot tell someone his name, ask for help, or explain where he belongs.
“Waiting many hours — or even days — for widespread public awareness could have devastating consequences.”
Ball revealed she started a petition to create an alert category for situations that don’t meet the emergency criteria of abductions.
“This isn’t about replacing or weakening the Amber Alert system. It’s about filling a gap that currently exists and helping bring vulnerable people home safely,” she explained.
Tina Hero, a resident of Lethbridge, said Parker’s disappearance has similarities to her own “living hell” that she went through when her grandson vanished at Island Lake campground, around 150 miles from Calgary.
Her six-year-old grandson, Darius MacDougall, disappeared in September while camping with family members, and despite a massive search spanning 11 days, there was no trace of the boy and no Amber Alert was ever issued.
“If we could have got an Amber Alert right away, more people would have known,” she said. “The traffic going back and forth by the highway — I think it would have helped a lot.”
Ronald de Gagne, a friend of the MacDougall family, said they have been looking into legislative action due to the gap in the Amber Alert system.
“It’s about giving the police the discretion to have all the tools necessary when a child goes missing,” de Gagne said.
SOURCE: https://www.the-sun.com/news/16718828/lindsay-clancy-murder-trial-husband-patrick-signs-kids-strangled/