A missing St Albert couple's motorhome was found completely burned at an Edson-area campground on July 5, adding only more questions to the couple's mysterious disappearance.
The couple — Lyle Thomas McCann, 78 and Marie Ann McCann, 77 — left St. Albert on July 3 around 9 a.m. in their motorhome for a vacation in Chilliwack, B.C.
They were supposed to meet up with a family member in Abbotsford on Saturday, but never arrived and were reported missing soon after.
Police disclosed on Monday evening that the motorhome was located at the Minnow Lake campground near Edson.
A passerby reported a fire at around 7 p.m. on July 5. When Edson fire crews arrived, they found the motorhome completely engulfed in flames.
The McCann's and their light green Hyundai Tucson were not at the campground when police and fire crews arrived. Calls by family to their cellphone have gone unanswered.
Edson RCMP attempted to contact the owners of the motorhome as part of their investigation into the fire, but were unsuccessful.
Sgt Patrick Webb with the RCMP said the two detachments realized the two cases were connected only after the couple was reported missing.
“At the time of the fire, which was late on the 5th, there were some steps taken to locate the registered owner but there was no indication that these people were missing. It was simply an inability to get a hold of the registered owners.”
Webb said investigators haven't determined if the fire was deliberately set.
“[The damage] is fairly extensive, but virtually every motorhome fire or trailer fire would be. Those are not meant to survive a lot of flame.”
Webb said the RCMP is now urgently seeking any information from someone who might have seen the SUV.
“It is a vehicle that would be noticeable and if anybody saw that with or without the motorhome, that would be something we could use.”
He said any information that would help RCMP establish a timeline would be very helpful.
“All we can say is it is not at the scene of the fire. That doesn't say whether it ever was there or was left somewhere else or taken somewhere else.”
In addition to officers in both detachments, the RCMP has brought in investigators from the Serious Crime Unit. Webb said the RCMP are taking the case seriously, but have made no conclusions.
“It is suspicious. We have an experienced serious crimes investigator on this as well as the investigator from Edson and St. Albert,” he said. “What we have is missing persons right now, but with some extremely suspicious circumstances.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact the St. Albert RCMP at 780 458-7700 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
