Heavily armed cops arrest suspect in McCann couple disappearance

EDMONTON – (UPDATE) Heavily armed cops have arrested the suspect wanted in connection with the disappearance of the McCann couple.

“In the early morning of July 19, 2010, the Edmonton RCMP Emergency Response Team with assistance from the Edmonton City Police Tactical Unit and the Fugitive Apprehension Sheriff Support Team (FASST) arrested Travis Edward Vader on outstanding warrants without incident at a rural residence near Ninton Junction,” Alberta Mounties announced.

“Travis Vader is currently in custody on the outstanding warrants and will be interviewed concerning the McCann missing persons case. The location of Travis Vader’s arrest will be the subject of our continuing investigation,” police said as they began a methodical search of the rural property where he was found.

RCMP had issued a public bulletin for help in locating Travis Edward Vader, 38, a man without a fixed address even as they found a Hyundai SUV owned by 77-year-old Marie Ann McCann and her husband Lyle Thomas McCann.

The couple left their home in Edmonton on July 3. On July 5, RCMP located the charred remains of their motorhome but claim they were unable to find the owners – a statement since acknowledged to be a lack of investigative foresight.

Cops have found the abandoned SUV that was being towed by the motorhome some 30 kilometres from Edson.

RCMP described Vader as a dangerous man. They said was a person of interest in the probe of the McCann couple’s disappearance.

Vader had multiple outstanding warrants on unrelated matters and has been known to be in the possession of firearms. Vader has a history of drug abuse. The RCMP had cautioning the public not to approach him as he could pose a threat to public safety.

“K” Division RCMP has 20 investigators working full-time on finding the McCanns. The law enforcement community across Canada is engaged in this effort. At any time since the start of the investigation, more than 100 RCMP officers from detachments and specialized units across Alberta have been focusing their efforts on this case,” said assistant commissioner Peter Hourihan of K Division of the RCMP before the arrest.

At the time they identified Vader as a person of interest, cops had run into a barrage of criticism over glaring failures in the investigation.

“Today’s announcement is the result of their hard work, which will continue until this case is resolved,” said Hourihan. “I want to assure the public that they can have confidence in the RCMP’s ability to take and process the tips they give us.”

The suspect is white, has short red hair, hazel eyes and may wear a goatee. He is approximately 6’2″ tall and 220 pounds.

Cops said they have received more than 100 tips from the public and those are being studied.

RCMP have acknowledged errors in their investigation that resulted in a five-day delay in learning the fate of the McCann couple.

The first error occurred when cops sat back and did not carry out a full investigation of the whereabouts of the owners of the motorhome when it was located on July 5. Incompetent cops only put two and two together when family filed a missing person report n July 10.

Further, Prince George RCMP also acknowledge a mistake in not gathering contact information for people who went to the cops with a tip about a vehicle cops were searching for.

“It was during the evaluation of a tip received at the Prince George Detachment on July 13, that an employee realized that they had not collected contact information from a witness who had attended the detachment to reporting a sighting of the McCann’s vehicle. Given the importance the RCMP places on processing each and every tip, immediate steps were taken to mitigate this oversight. A media release was issued and the RCMP was able to contact the witness.”

“What happened in Prince George has received much public attention and is being used by some to question the RCMP’s competence in this investigation. The RCMP reminds the public that the organization did what was required to get things right once the oversight was discovered, even if that meant exposing the organization to intense public scrutiny,” embarrassed cops said.

“I can assure you that each investigation we do is subject to review and this is underway in regards to the actions taken in after the discovery of the McCann’s motor home on July 5, 2010,”, said Hourihan, who reported that a member has been placed on administrative duties until the review is complete.

Police continue to seek public help.

The public is asked to call Edson Detachment at 780-723-8800
St. Albert Detachment at 780-458-4300
Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS)

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