One year since McCann couple vanished
Posted Jul 2, 2011 11:50 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
ABBOTSFORD (NEWS1130) – It’s a painful anniversary for the McCann family this weekend. It was one year ago that Lyle and Marie McCann of Alberta disappeared while on their way to Abbotsford to visit family.
While their RV and the SUV they were towing were discovered near Edson, Alberta shortly after a search was launched, the fate of the couple is still a complete mystery.
Their son Bret says the family has been living a nightmare for the past year, but they are coming to grips with having to say some sort of goodbye.
“Later this month we’re planning a memorial. We’re hoping to have it on July 30 to mark their 60th wedding anniversary.”
Bret adds it’s been difficult to come to terms with the likelihood he will never see his parents alive again. He says the couple’s home has been maintained as if they were still were still coming back.
“We’ve been taking care of it for a year, cutting the lawn, clearing the snow, paying the bills, paying the taxes. We’ve been keeping it in the shape my parents kept it in.”
The family still gets police updates every six weeks about the ongoing search.
Alberta RCMP’s Tim Taniguchi tells News1130 investigators are making headway. “We are making a progress in this investigation. It continues to be a priority for Alberta RCMP to locate the McCanns. We have well over 15 full-time investigators on the case,” he points out.
Investigators are dealing with mounds of evidence. “We have well over 700 seized exhibits, 1,500 tips from the public, 1,200 investigational tasks, and 1,800 documents to sift through. We have a Crimestoppers video that we’ve been airing for the last couple of weeks,” Taniguchi notes.
He’s hoping that as campers head to their favourite back-country spots once again, someone might see something unusual and call police.
Travis Vader was identified as a person of interest last year, but he has not been charged with any offences related to the case.
The McCann family has put up a $60,000 reward for anyone with information on the case.
