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The girl was in a minivan with her 27-year-old mother, a 10-month-old boy and a 30-year-old man, who were sent to hospital with various injuries, Hanson said.

RCMP would not provide more details about how the four are related, but said they were travelling in a family vehicle.

Hanson said investigators determined the other vehicle, a Ford F350, had been stolen three days earlier in Lashburn, Sask., about 200 kilometres southeast of where the crash happened.

"The suspect involved stole a Good Samaritan's vehicle who had stopped to offer their assistance," Hanson said about how the truck ended up in Alberta.

Officers found the stolen truck about an hour after the crash Tuesday, however, it was abandoned. 

"Officers began making patrols, which included targeted patrols of known prolific offenders' residences in the area," Hanson said at a news conference Thursday.

Investigators then found another stolen vehicle with a shotgun in plain view parked outside a home of "one of these prolific offenders' properties," he said.

A 34-year-old man of Bonnyville, Alta., was arrested Wednesday and charged with various offences, including failing to stop at the scene of a collision causing death and theft of a motor vehicle.

RCMP say the man was on bail for breaching a probation order at the time of the deadly crash.

"The initial efforts of our officers have not only led to the charges you see today, but also produced a significant amount of evidence to support the investigation that included the unfortunate death of a child," Hanson said.

"This case is yet another example of harm that offenders like this do to our communities."

This report by ºÃÉ«tvwas first published Jan. 15, 2026.

— By Daniela Germano in Edmonton