The family of a St. Albert couple that went missing seven weeks ago is teaming up with the City of St. Albert to raise money for a reward they hope will help bring their loved ones home.
The city has already received an anonymous $10,000 donation that when combined with $1,000 received through a trust fund set up last week by the family will go toward a reward for information that leads to the return of Lyle and Marie McCann and brings their abductors to justice.
Monday’s kick-off was just the beginning of the fundraiser. Members of the McCann family and the city will both collect donations with an eye toward increasing the reward.
Mayor Nolan Crouse said the hope is the reward will pry information from people who might not otherwise come forward.
“Rewards can begin to give incentives to those who might not have already had another incentive.”
Crouse said it only made sense for the city to help.
“The McCann family is part of our community. Neighbours help neighbours.”
The city is not making a direct financial donation, but is helping with some of the administration and is raising awareness through the media.
Bret McCann, the couple’s eldest son, said despite the passage of weeks since the disappearance the family remains hopeful his parents are out there.
“I know that it may sound almost naive, but my parents, they were in their 70s, they were very vigorous even for their age and my father can look after himself.”
The couple was last seen on July 3 as they left St. Albert in their motorhome bound for a vacation in British Columbia.
They were reported missing after they failed to arrive at a pre-arranged meeting with their daughter on July 10. The couple’s motorhome was found five days earlier near Edson, completely burned.
The search initially focused on the SUV the couple towed behind the motorhome. It was found in the Edson area on July 16. The police also announced that day they were looking for a person of interest in the case, Travis Edward Vader, who was arrested on unrelated charges three days later.
McCann said he simply would not give up hope that his parents will be found.
“I know that if I was out there they would never give up, and we are leaving no stone unturned.”
Crime Stoppers, which will administer the reward, generally has a maximum reward amount of $2,000 and guarantees the anonymity of callers.
In this case, people can still remain anonymous but will only be eligible for the $2,000 reward. To be eligible for the larger sum, a potential tipster will have speak directly with RCMP major crimes investigators.
The reward will be paid out for information that helps locate the McCanns and leads to the arrest and conviction of whomever is responsible for their disappearance.
Flavia Robles, the executive director for Crime Stoppers in Edmonton and Northern Alberta, said the organization has two special rewards like this already, a $10,000 reward from the community of Westlock for information about a murdered man, with another $100,000 reward put up by a company for information on the assault of one of its employees.
In both those cases the announcement of rewards led to an increase in tips, she said.
At its core, Robles said the tip line battles two problems — spreading information about crimes, the fear of reprisals and general apathy. She is hopeful this increased reward might bring in the vital piece of information.
Sgt. Tim Taniguchi, a spokesperson for the RCMP said there were no major updates in the case, but he was also hopeful the reward would prove essential in bringing the case to a conclusion.
“We applaud the family for keeping this case in the public’s eye. The increase in the reward may assist in getting the relevant and reliable information to our investigators so we can have some type of resolution to this case.”
The police are looking for anyone who might have seen the couple’s SUV between July 3 and when it was discovered. The vehicle is a Hyundai Tucson, light green in colour with an Alberta licence plate ZPK-289. The motorhome was a 1999 green and white Gulfstream model.
People can contact either Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS or the St. Albert RCMP 780-458-7700 with any information.
