Hundreds searching for Chase Martens, missing 2-year-old Manitoba boy

UPDATE: Chase Martens still missing, RCMP send out drones to help with search Friday

Two-year-old Chase Martens was last seen at 6:00 p.m. Tuesday playing outside his house in the western Manitoba community.

Chase is two and half feet tall, 30 pounds with blue eyes and light brown hair.

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He was last seen wearing a blue jacket, black splash pants with a red hat and boots that light up when he walks.

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RAW: Hundreds search for missing two-year-old Chase Martens

0:42 RAW: Global’s Skyview-1 overhead as the search is underway for missing two-year-old

• RAW: Global’s Skyview-1 overhead as the search is underway for missing two-year-old
• Raw: Ongoing search for missing 2-year-old Manitoba boy

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“Our only priority is to find Chase,” said Sgt. Bert Paquet, with the RCMP. “It’s to early to say at this point if foul play is involved.”

Few details surrounding Chase’s disappearance have been released.

“We are talking, as far as we know, of a little 2 year old boy out playing and that all of a sudden is not there any more,” Paquet said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "We are talking, as far as we know, of a little 2 year old boy out playing and that all of a sudden is not there any more," Paquet said.

“We just want to find him alive,” Wanda Thomas, Chase’s great-aunt said.

“I can’t imagine him spending the night out there by himself and it was so cold.”

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With the wind chill, it felt like minus 15 overnight Tuesday into Wednesday.

Chase’s great-aunt said he was playing with the family dog outside on Tuesday.  About ten minutes later his parents went outside to check on him, the dog was at the back door and Chase was gone. “He went everywhere with that dog, so where could he be?”

When asked what people can do, Paquet simply responded ‘pray’.

“I have food for everyone,” a man driving into the property told Global News.”Our school made sandwiches and cookies for everyone.”

PHOTO GALLERY: Searcher help to find Chase Martens

RCMP say it has enough resources involved in the search and do not want volunteers. The Austin fire department and Air1 from the Winnipeg Police Service are helping in the search.

Officers are asking anyone travelling in the area of Highway 34 and Austin, Manitoba to look out for the missing toddler and contact them with any information.

“As quickly as we could we organized, we arranged transport and sent them on their way,” James Favel with the Bear Clan said. The Bear Clan sent four of their members to help in the search, “They would be considered experts in tracking,” Favel said. They have extensive tracking experience in rural areas according to Favel.

Austin is around 150 kms west of Winnipeg.

An Amber Alert has not been issued at this time.

There are specific criteria that must be met before police activate the alert procedures. According to the RCMP:

• An AMBER Alert is intended only for the most serious, time-critical abduction cases
• An AMBER Alert is not used for cases involving runaways or parental abduction, except in life-threatening situations

When can AMBER Alert be activated?

• Police have confirmed that an abduction has taken place
• The victim is a child, or of proven physical or mental disability
• There is reason to believe the victim is in danger of serious physical injury
• There is information available that, if broadcasted to the public, could assist in the safe recovery of the victim

If all of the above criteria is not met, the AMBER Alert should not be activated.