News: Missing couple’s motorhome found burnt

Published in the July 13th issue of The Edmonton Sun. News


Missing couple’s motorhome found burnt

LINDA HOANG
Edmonton Sun

The motorhome of a missing St. Albert couple was found engulfed in flames at a campground near Edson, prompting RCMP to deem their disappearance “extremely suspicious” Monday.

“Waiting is very difficult,” said Bret McCann, son of Lyle Thomas McCann, 78, and his wife Marie Ann, 77.

The motorhome was spotted engulfed in flames near the Minnow Lake campground July 5.

After an Edson fire crew extinguished the blaze, officials tried to contact the registered owners.

They didn’t realize until later that it belonged to the McCanns, who were last seen in St. Albert on July 3 around 9 a.m.

The couple was travelling to Chilliwack, B.C. for vacation and were scheduled to meet with their daughter in Abbotsford, B.C. on Saturday, but they never showed up.

They were driving a 1999 green and white Gulf Stream Sun Voyager motorhome with Alberta license plate NBZ 836. The motorhome was towing a light green Hyundai Tucson with Alberta license plate ZPK 289.

Police say they don’t know where the Tucson is and hope the public can help them track it down.

“The (investigators) consider circumstances surrounding these missing persons as extremely suspicious and the public is asked to contact the St. Albert detachment, Edson detachment or any RCMP detachment if they know anything about the person or vehicles involved in this incident,” said RCMP spokesman Sgt. Patrick Webb in a release.

Meanwhile, the couple’s son, has launched a Facebook group in an effort to help locate his missing parents.

“We’re extremely hopeful, we’re hearing that people are forwarding it (the Facebook group link) to people who live in that area,” he said.

But McCann said he was “devastated” that he doesn’t know what’s happened to his elderly mom and dad.

St. Albert RCMP Const. Janice Schoepp said the couple was carrying a cell phone but no one has been able to reach them since July 3.

McCann said his parents regularly take trips in their motorhome including yearly vacations down to the U.S. that could last up to several months.

He said the pair didn’t check in with family too often while they were away, so not hearing from them last week was not unusual.

However their failure to meet his sister as planned was “totally out of character,” he said.

Schoepp said RCMP major crimes unit is investigating and a search party has been formed in the Edson area.

But RCMP are still seeking the public’s help.

“If they see the couple, if they have seen them in the past week as well as the vehicles, we would appreciate any information they could provide,” Schoepp said.

Anyone with information is asked to call St. Albert RCMP at 780-458-7700 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

— with files from Alyssa Noel

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