CROWSNEST PASS - The search for a missing five-year-old autistic boy entered its third day Tuesday as responders in southwestern Alberta expanded their target area.
Adam Kennedy with Alberta Search and Rescue said Darius Macdougall may have wandered away from the section crews were initially looking in.
Darius vanished Sunday after he didn't return from a walk with six family members to their campsite near Island Lake Campground, south of Crowsnest Pass.
RCMP said 82 searchers and divers from B.C. and Alberta spent two nights scouring the area with drones, dogs and ATVs but didn't find the boy from Lethbridge, Alta.
They said foul play isn't suspected but were keeping the investigation broad and looking at every possible angle.
Local groups have helped out with supplies, but Kennedy said civilians are asked to leave the search to professionals, as the terrain can be treacherous.
"There's the potential that if (civilian searchers) become injured, then we have to reroute some of our resources on the ground," Kennedy told a virtual news conference.
"It's really a mixed level of terrain in this area, and it's everything from flat ground to high-angle cliffs and everything in between."
Cpl. Gina Slaney said the family is distraught but has been helping in the search.
Darius is described as four feet tall with short brown hair. He was last seen wearing a blue-grey hoodie and sweatpants.
This report by ºÃÉ«tvwas first published Sept. 23, 2025.
— By Aaron Sousa in Edmonton and Matthew Scace in Calgary
