Melville-area missing person located after collaborative search

December 21, 2021
Melville, Saskatchewan

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The missing persons report came in to Melville Detachment around 6:15 p.m. as a 911 call on Sunday, December 12, 2021. Cst. Grant Baker of the Melville Detachment was on shift and was assigned the role of lead investigator. It was reported a male pre-teen ran away from home and was believed to be in the City of Melville.

"The first thought that came to mind was to obtain as much information as possible, relay this information to the investigative team and determine the next steps based on concerns we had – such as him not being dressed for the weather," shares Cst. Baker. "At the time, there was no information for where he would go and there was a time delay of over thirty minutes from when they were last seen leaving the skate park area in Melville."

Melville RCMP police officers began immediate patrols and completing location checks around the community. "Police must work in partnership with the communities they serve. Melville is an incredibly strong community where people want to help," says Cst. Baker. "I've witnessed multiple times where citizens and partners have come together to help locate a missing person. When we conducted the first patrols and checked local businesses, we updated their employees and requested they call us if the missing person was seen."

Cpl. Dave Kisters had already finished his shift at Melville Detachment for the day and was on call and available to assist officers on the next shift as needed. "When I was called by investigators, they relayed what had been done and what the next steps were going to be, including a grid search," he recalls, and prepared to go back to the detachment. "When I arrived at the office, I notified the other officers I was signing in and met everyone at the skate park where they were staging. I'm a parent myself and I kept thinking, what else can I do to find this person and ensure they are okay?"

Family Liaison

During many types of police investigations, there will be a liaison officer assigned who will meet with and relay information to an assigned family contact.

During a missing persons investigation, this individual may assist with completing the RCMP missing persons intake and risk assessment form. This form helps police officers gather as much information as possible about the missing individual and assists in determining an appropriate response and resources required, based on the situation.

The liaison officer continues to provide updates to the family contact during the course of investigation.

Requesting Assistance

Once it was determined additional resources were needed to assist with the search, Cst. Baker requested the assistance of RCMP Police Dog Services (PDS) and the Melville Fire Department. Word also spread quickly through Melville and many members of the public came and asked where they were needed and what they could do to help.

Cpl. Craig Matatall had just finished supper at home in Yorkton, where he and his partner, Police Service Dog Jaxx are based, when he received the request for assistance. "I was ready to deploy quickly," says Cpl. Matatall. "I grabbed my boots and winter gear and got on Highway #10. We always keep our vehicles stocked and ready to go with the supplies we and our police service dogs require while out on a call."

Cpl. Kisters remembers hearing Cpl. Matatall on the radio, "He was heard saying they were en route. There was a lot of open area to search, including areas with trees and open water, alleys, houses and businesses. I was on the phone with S/Sgt. Gary Hodges of our District Management Team and we also discussed calling out the RCMP Search and Rescue team." Ultimately, the team was not deployed in this case.

S/Sgt. Hodges is a former detachment commander and was on the search and rescue team in both Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories. "When you are searching for someone, you have to consider the different behaviours of individuals. Some people may hide, some may sit in one place. You don't want to contaminate the search scene too much if PDS is being utilized, but it is critical to start looking."

What factors do police officers consider when conducting a missing person investigation?

Time, environment, terrain, weather, lighting conditions, size of the area, age of the missing person, their health, clothing versus the elements of nature, their familiarity with the area and means of travel are only some of the many factors investigators will consider during a missing person investigation.

"Every investigation is unique and has its own challenges," says Cst. Baker. "There are steps which must be taken within the investigation, while keeping the lines of communication open with multiple contacts: the family of the missing person, supervisors, fellow officers on scene, specialty units, partner agencies, and the community, for example. There is obvious concern and emotion which must be considered – the investigation must be done while emphasizing compassion for all those impacted."

Call of a sighting

When a call of a sighting is received, investigators establish clear communication with searchers. A police officer physically attends the location to confirm or negate the report. So when a report came in around 7:45 p.m. that the youth was believed to be at a local Melville store, the officer in the nearest proximity responded, while others maintained their respective search efforts.

"It was the result of those initial contacts police officers did with local businesses which ultimately helped identify where the missing person was," shares Cpl. Kisters.

Cpl. Matatall had arrived in Melville a few minutes prior to the sighting. "I had gone to the skate park first to analyze the best place I could use PSD Jaxx's search profile and then rerouted. I was one of the first officers to respond and enter the store. We located him in the toy aisle. We asked him to take a deep breath. We wanted to ensure he was alright."

The missing person tried to run from police officers, who acknowledged immediately he was scared or confused. "Perhaps a missing person may think they are in trouble when they see a police uniform, or they may not understand why the police are looking for them," explains Cpl. Kisters. "Children may fear they've done something wrong and that's why the police are there."

"You try your best to make someone feel okay," adds Cpl. Matatall. "We told him we were there to help, you're safe and your family is worried. I have stuffed toy dogs I carry in my truck to give to youth and I went and grabbed one and gave it to him to hold."

The toy dog immediately calmed the situation. The police officers reiterated he wasn't in trouble and they were all there to make sure he was okay. He was reunited with family shortly after.

"Thank you! was my thought when I learned he was located safe," says S/Sgt. Hodges. "Relief. I felt huge relief. Missing person investigations are serious. We always deploy all available resources as you can never anticipate what the outcome may be."

"No two missing persons investigations are the same," agrees Cpl. Matatall. "Just when you think you've seen it all, something else surprises you."

"I felt stronger knowing our community was helping"

"I've only been in Melville just over a year and I'm blown away by how the community cares and how much they want to help," says Cpl. Kisters. "Thank you to everyone who stepped up and offered assistance."

"I felt stronger knowing our community was helping and believed we were going to succeed in finding this missing person. I felt relief once confirmation was made," shares Cst. Baker, who then focused on ensuring the individual's health and wellbeing were addressed. "Everyone who assisted did amazing work and I was proud to work alongside them.

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