On Sept. 21, 2025, six-year-old Darius MacDougall vanished from a public camping area near the Alberta-British Columbia border in the Crowsnest Pass.
Almost at once, police, search and rescue crews and other first responders began a full-scale search of the mountainous terrain in an effort to find Darius.
Now, one year later, with no answers, Darius’ family has returned to that camping spot, holding out hope that he is still out there, somewhere.
“Darius, we still love you, miss you. We’re never going to stop searching for you, buddy,” said Leslie Tallmadge, Darius’ grandfather. “I come here and I walk and I look, (I’d) look anywhere for you.”
The search effort was extensive, with drones, dogs, helicopters and hundreds of crew members, including specialized teams such as underwater divers, all taking part in the hopes of finding Darius.
After more than a week, RCMP called the search off.
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On Monday, one year after Darius went missing, officers released a statement saying they haven’t stopped their investigation.
“The Alberta RCMP recognizes that Darius’ disappearance continues to weigh heavily on his family and those who know and love him. The passage of time does not lessen the importance of finding answers, and investigators remain committed to pursuing information that may help bring clarity to what happened to Darius.”
They say investigators remain focused on reviewing information, pursuing viable leads and identifying any information that may help provide answers about Darius’ disappearance.
“To date, RCMP has received just over 70 tips from the public regarding this investigation, and every tip was fully investigated. Unfortunately, none have led to finding Darius. However, we will continue to investigate.”
For Darius’ family, the concern is that he was never lost in the mountains, but kidnapped instead.
“Somebody had to have taken him. There’s just been too many people out here, too many searches not to find anything. To me, somebody as come and taken him,” said Tina Herron, Darius’ grandmother.
Tallmadge agrees, believing search crews exhausting all efforts should have yielded results.
“11 days straight with 200 plus searchers every day — there’s no way we missed anything,” said Tallmadge.
At the time, RCMP said there was no evidence of a kidnapping and an Amber Alert was never issued, something that has never sat well with Herron.
“No matter who it is, it’s a child. They should have an Amber Alert, whether it meets the criteria or not, he should have it.”
A few days after Darius went missing, a Change.org petition was started to change how Amber Alerts are issued.
As of Monday, it has more than 20,000 signatures.
Darius would be seven years old now and his family is still urging anyone with any information to contact RCMP.
“If you see something or you know something, call the police. He’s out there somewhere. If you see him, call the police,” said Tallmadge.
RCMP have the same public message.
“The Alberta RCMP continues to encourage anyone who may have information about Darius’ disappearance or whereabouts to come forward. You can contact the Crowsnest Pass RCMP at 403-562-2866. Information that may seem insignificant could be important to the investigation, and investigators will assess any new information provided.”
On Tuesday evening, a candlelight vigil will be held at Lethbridge City Hall to bring greater awareness to the ongoing search efforts for Darius MacDougall.
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