People in Grande Prairie are banding together to show support and help find a boy who went missing on Friday.
Myles, a two-year-old boy from Grande Prairie, was last seen by his family around 5 p.m. at the Wapiti River.
RCMP, STARS Air Ambulance and a search and rescue team from Grande Prairie searched for the boy until 11 p.m. Friday before resuming the search on Saturday at 7 a.m. until nightfall. The search resumed Sunday at 7 a.m.
Police are asking members of the community to stay clear of the area but others still wanted to show their support to Myles’ family.
Arlene de Heus decided to put a teddy bear outside her house to show the family of the boy that they were thinking of them and hope for nothing but a positive outcome.
She said the idea just “popped into her head” so her and her son went outside and attached a bear to a tree.
Now the gesture has sparked people in Grande Prairie to follow suit.
Another mother in the area, Ashley Frandsen, has two young children and couldn’t stand by and do nothing.
“Both of my children are close to that age range. It’s every parent’s worst nightmare to have something like that happen,” she said.
Frandsen’s daughter asked if she could put a teddy bear out for her and her brother to support Myles and his family. Two bears now hang attached to their front yard tree as a sign of solidarity.
But it isn’t only teddy bears that rest out front of people’s homes. People have also chosen to put out flashlights, candles, and blankets.
“He’s out there, worried, scared. Wherever he is, every boy and every child needs a teddy bear to keep him safe,” de Heus said.
Frandsen said she thinks of the bears the same way.
“I think [the teddy bears] are a way to help him find his way home.”
Cst. Melanie McIntosh said that the improved weather on Sunday will help with the search.
“When it gets dark earlier, they have to stop searching earlier. The river bank is very steep and yesterday was very wet and slippery and muddy. Air support is hindered in bad conditions. So [Sunday] we have the best working conditions.
“People are remaining positive; they are working really hard to find this little one. They’ve been searching for three days and they’ll continue to search until we find him.”
While the search and rescue services have asked the public to stay away, the community still wants nothing but to help.
“There’s a lot of people that are getting together to bring food down to all the volunteers, search and rescue, and everybody that’s down there looking. Everybody is doing what they can.
“Being a mother myself, if that was me I don’t know if I could handle that. I just want to show them that my support is with them 100 per cent,” de Heus said.
de Heus is hopeful that Myles will be found.
“Everyone is hoping for a good outcome. Everybody is hoping for the best right now.”
With files from Angela Jung
