Search efforts are still underway for 5-year-old Frank Young 11 days after he went missing near his home on Red Earth Cree Nation.
Carrot River RCMP and Red Earth Cree Nation provided an update Friday morning saying it is still a rescue mission and not a recovery effort.
“As the days go by, our concern for Frank grows,” Sgt. Richard Tonge with Carrot River RCMP said.
“We are in day 11 of this intensive search and each passing day, each passing hour, our concern continues to intensify.”
To date, 200 volunteers and 13 search crews have covered approximately 92 square kilometers of land.
“The task at hand in searching for a lost child pulls at the heartstrings of everyone involved,” said Cliff Buettner, Prince Albert Grand Council director of emergency protective services.
An Amber Alert has not been issued because Young’s disappearance doesn’t meet the requirements.
“The main criteria for an Amber Alert is you have to have confirmed evidence of an abduction and it could be a stranger abduction, parental abduction or adbuction by another family member,” Tonge said.
Despite all the searching, RCMP still say there is no evidence of what’s happened to Young.
“We can’t rule out criminal involvement. We can’t absolutely rule out abduction but there’s no evidence to support a criminal act is taking place,” Tonge said.
“There’s no evidence to support an abduction is taking place. We continue to follow up on all leads no matter how small they are, no matter where they are located or where they come from in the country.”
As the weekend approaches, more volunteers are needed. Those interested can contact Red Earth’s emergency response coordinator Allister Nawakayas at 306-401-8124.
The next update on the search for Young is expected on Tuesday, May 3.