Mounties in southern Alberta marked a sombre anniversary on Monday, saying it’s been one year since Darius Macdougall went missing.
The six-year-old boy disappeared into the wilderness during a family camping trip in the Crowsnest Pass area on Sept. 21, 2025, and hasn’t been seen since.
Macdougall and some family members left their campsite at the Island Lake Campground — about four kilometres south of Crowsnest Pass — to go for a walk.
When the group returned to the campsite, Macdougall wasn’t with them.
As searches for the boy began, RCMP explained that Macdougall had autism and while verbal, might not respond to his name.
After 11 days of searching by hundreds of volunteers from Alberta, B.C. and Saskatchewan, there was no sign of the boy, and the formal search was called off.
“While the extensive search that followed his disappearance has concluded, investigative work continues behind the scenes,” said Alberta RCMP in a Monday news release.
“Investigators remain focused on reviewing information, pursuing viable leads and identifying any information that may help provide answers about Darius’s disappearance.”
Family gathering to mark anniversary
On Monday, members of Macdougall’s family gathered at the campsite where the boy was last seen, holding onto hope he is still alive.
“It’s hard,” said Macdougall’s grandfather Leslie Tallmadge. “A year later and nothing.”
Tallmadge remained at the camp site until the first snowfall last fall, searching every day for his grandson.
He says the family returned to the site once more in the spring for a search with RCMP and volunteers that turned up nothing.
The Monday gathering was also meant to raise awareness about Macdougall and ensure he isn’t forgotten.
“It seems like his face has been forgotten, so we’re trying to get it out there again,” his grandmother Tina Herron said.
“Hope to God that someone sees him and tells us something.”
Herron described the year since her grandson went missing as “hell.”
“It’s hard going on without him,” she said.
An online petition named “Darius’s Law” continues to collect signatures calling for a reform to Canada’s Amber Alert system.
The online document saw a renewed interest in July when 11-year-old Parker Wells went missing in Calgary.
Wells, who also had autism, was found deceased inside a stormwater pipe near Deerfoot Trail after a near two-week search.
“With Parker, he was able to get an Amber Alert. Yes, it took three days to get it, but he was able to get one,” Herron said, adding that measure wasn’t taken in her grandson’s case.
“Even now they still won’t put an Amber Alert out for him. I know it’s a year later, but still, we just want more awareness, more transparency through the RCMP and everybody.”
For now, the family says they’ll continue to search.
“Darius, we still love you, we miss you and we’re never going to stop searching for you, buddy,” Tallmadge said.
To date, RCMP have received more than 70 tips from the public. They say each one has been investigated.
RCMP are encouraging anyone who may have information about Darius’ disappearance or whereabouts to come forward.
“Information that may seem insignificant could be important to the investigation, and investigators will assess any new information provided,” said a release.
You can contact the Crowsnest Pass RCMP at 403-562-2866.
with files from Karsen Marczuk and Cassidy McMackon
