REGINA — An eight-year-old boy who went missing Tuesday afternoon was found cold but safe after an intensive, hours-long search that mobilized roughly 80 members from 15 police units, drone operators, the air support unit, and a school resource officer.
According to Sgt. Andree Sieber of the Regina Police Service Missing Person Unit, the investigation began shortly after 12:20 p.m. on May 5 when officers received a report that the child had disappeared from a large, densely populated area near his school, with lots of houses, back alleys, and areas for a child to hide if they were scared.
“We had a lot of ground to cover and wanted to cover it quickly,” said Sgt. Sieber during a media briefing at the detachment’s headquarters in Regina on May 6.
Although the day was sunny, temperatures were cold, and the boy was dressed only in a T-shirt, pants, and runners, said Sgt. Sieber. The boy’s clothing and cognitive challenges elevated the urgency of the search and Regina police set up a command centre. He is nonverbal and was unable to call for help.
The child was found at approximately 5:48 p.m., more than five hours after he was first reported missing, in the area of Ross Avenue and Winnipeg Street. This was within the program’s second search zone.
“He was very cold, so it was very good that we located him when we did,” said Sgt. Sieber.
Sgt. Sieber described the moment the boy was found, saying officers were “very grateful.”
“I think the moment he was located, we were all holding our breath, and we're so very grateful he was located,” she said. “I can't imagine how the parents felt.”
VIDEO by Jason Wood: Watch Sgt. Andree Sieber describe the moment the boy was found
Video surveillance helped establish his direction of travel, while community tips and registered private cameras provided additional leads. Police contacted transit, cab companies, and other partners. Community members shared information widely on social media and offered help.
Sgt. Sieber praised the department’s response, saying the investigation moved quickly. Her unit was aware within about 10 minutes, a command centre was set up, and boots were on the ground with a perimeter shortly after. She said search and rescue volunteers were en route when the boy was found.
A key tool in the operation was the Lost Person Behaviour program, based on research by Robert Koester. Officers input details such as the child’s age, cognitive abilities, clothing, and last known location. The program generated prioritized search zones, displayed as coloured circles on a map. The innermost “red zone” covered the school and playground area where the boy was last seen.
“This program gave us search parameters where we would start our search,” said Sgt Sieber.
– with files from Jason Wood
