The Alberta RCMP Missing Persons and Unidentified Remains Unit will be conducting an aerial sweep of the North Saskatchewan River east of Edmonton starting Thursday, August 20 and Friday, August 21, 2015. The purpose of this search will afford the opportunity to possibly recover the remains of one or more missing people who are believed to have entered the river at some point.
The two day search will start with the RCMP helicopter being deployed along the North Saskatchewan River from the eastern limit of the City of Edmonton to the Saskatchewan border. An RCMP jet boat will also be launched at Fort Saskatchewan to comb the river banks up the river to Edmonton City limits and back down. If the water levels of the river allow, the boat crew will then continue to go down the river to the Vinca Bridge at Highway 831 just south of Waskatenau.
The operation is taking place today because the water levels of the North Saskatchewan River are at their lowest and clearest at this time of year.
Background:
Since 2010, the remains of four people who went missing in Edmonton have been discovered on the banks of the North Saskatchewan River in eastern Alberta and western Saskatchewan.
There are currently 38 missing people who have been reported to RCMP Detachments located in communities along the North Saskatchewan River. Four of them are known to have entered the river but have never been located.
The Edmonton Police Service currently has several ongoing investigations in which the missing person is believed to have entered the North Saskatchewan River.