As the search for a missing Calgary boy continues, his family are asking people to continue looking even as an Amber Alert issued last week expired.
The 11-year-old, Parker, has been missing for 11 days as of Sunday.
“Each day we continue to hope, to search, and to believe that bringing him home is possible,” read a statement from the family posted Saturday on Facebook. “Every hour matters. We are asking our community to stay with us, to keep looking, and to continue supporting the search in whatever way you can.”
Search efforts continued Sunday, with police closing a parking lot and pathway entrance at Nose Hill Park through the weekend.
Though the search continues, the family also noted that an Amber Alert issued two days after Parker went missing has since expired.
But the family is stressing this expiry is “normal.”
“This is a normal part of how the Amber Alert system works and does not mean the search is ending, slowing down, or becoming any less urgent,” the family wrote. “The Amber Alert was never intended to remain active indefinitely.”
Get daily National news
The alert was issued July 19, after the province issued an exemption to the alert for the vulnerable missing child.
Though his disappearance doesn’t meet the legislated criteria for an Amber Alert, the province granted an exemption because of the “unique circumstances of this investigation.”
Parker is neurodivergent and non-verbal and may become even more scared if confronted by strangers, according to police.
A missing child alert is still active.
Lee Wayne, the commanding officer of Calgary Police’s missing persons team, provided more details on the ongoing search and investigation into Parker’s disappearance in a video post Sunday.
Wayne said the team has worked with frontline patrol to determine search parameters and investigative steps that could be taken.
This has included a canvass speaking with members of the public and gathering video footage, and asking for tips. Wayne said more than 500 tips have already been received.
Parker went missing on July 16, and was last seen in the 5000 to 6000 block of Travis Crescent N.E. in the city’s Thorncliffe neighbourhood at around 12:52 p.m.
Police have previously asked residents on several nearby streets, including Travis Street, Travis Crescent, Trail Drive, Taylor Crescent and Travis Place N.E., to repeatedly check vacant homes and surrounding properties.
Local real estate agents have also joined the search, organizing checks of vacant properties and listings in and around Thorncliffe.
According to police, Parker is also known to close and lock doors behind him so people have been asked to check properties, sheds and other places even if a lock has been used as it’s possible the boy was the one who locked up.
—with files from Global News’ Prisha Dev and Rebecca Lau
With all the sadness and pain that every single person has been expressing, may I please ask who is responsible for Parker’s disappearance?!!! Who was looking after the innocent angel kidlets???! At the Dayhome?!!! How many kids are there and how did Parker get out,?????? And why the long wait for the Amber Alert when a child goes missing?! FROM A DAY HOME? AND WHOMEVER REPORTED, not only they reported it late but they were over late… and I just would like to know who was looking after him and why did this happen?!!
Have police checked pedophiles in the area of that circle on the map? Keep eyes up into trees also. What about dog houses. Storm might have got him too. Maybe fell into a man hole 🤷♀️with high waters even. Just things that crossed my mind.
It is Trelle Drive not Trail Drive…
Im Autistic and I would climb high up in my closet and curl up in a all and move back so no one could find me and I get very afraid so look for places even in my hide that I can curl up in enclosed places and often high up, music. If he had head phones on even if he hey aren’t working anymore they’re noise cancelling so you can’t what much. I dont know but I hope more people can help and find him. Theres suxhliyteme attention about it atut it took me 8 days to even know about it and I have the internet and am online daily so that’s how little coverage there is. Posters posters. Leave STUFFED ANIMALS or if he has a liking usually we have something like that. I run to them and even if I was sick I betcha I would see them and run to them and put food there o n ie he’s not an animal but I’m trying to think. He’s hungry probably and thirsty. People tell his name feel him its okay Parker were not mad at you. Because he might think he’s in trouble. So let him know your not mad. It’s okay buddy. We’re just worried because maybe he’s hiding because he thinks your mad. Aube I’d you leave him a stuffed animal with a bite on it and you can okay a Agne Nevaeh maybe he’s smarter in a lot of ways and maybe he didn’t want to be found and now he doesn’t know what to do. AMD I used to wire notes and then edit dir someone to write back like my stuffies were talking because it was too hard for me to talk. I can’t thi k of anything else. I think food and water because maybe his mind isn’t working because it’s so big out and maybe he’s even more afraid. Don’t stop looking Calgary let’s find him. We love you Parker come home.
I dont know much about search and rescue stuff but don’t they get bloodhounds i thought they were the best for finding people