In the dense boreal forest near Grande Cache, where spruce shadows stretch long even at midday, approximately 100 searchers many volunteers from nearby towns combed trails and creek beds Wednesday for 10-year-old missing Alberta boy Liam Tremblay, who vanished during a family hike Monday afternoon. RCMP confirmed the search has expanded to include K-9 units, drones, and an air support helicopter, all operating under worsening weather forecasts.
Liam was last seen near Sulphur Gates trailhead around 3:15 p.m. Monday, wearing a red jacket and blue jeans. His parents reported him missing after he failed to return from a short walk ahead of the group. According to RCMP incident logs, search teams have covered over 40 square kilometers of rugged terrain, including steep ravines and fast-moving streams swollen by recent rain.
By dawn Wednesday, volunteers arrived from Hinton, Edson, and even Edmonton teachers, loggers, retired firefighters many with their own children’s photos tucked in jacket pockets. Some carried thermal blankets; others brought extra batteries for headlamps. The air smelled of wet pine and diesel from idling emergency vehicles. At the command post, a whiteboard listed grid sectors in smudged marker, each one a silent plea.
McLeod, who helped organize the local volunteer response, said community members set up a warming station with hot soup and dry socks within hours of the alert. “This is our home,” she said, voice cracking. “We know every bend in that trail. If Liam’s out there, we’ll find him.” Her son, 12, walked the same path last summer now he’s handing out water bottles to searchers, eyes scanning the treeline like a sentinel. This grassroots mobilization reflects a broader youth initiative emerging across rural Alberta: kids teaching peers about wilderness safety, inspired by near-misses like this one.
As night fell again, searchers paused for a moment of silence at 8 p.m. Liam’s bedtime, his mother told reporters. In that hush, under a sky thick with clouds, the forest seemed to hold its breath. Experts from the Alberta Search and Rescue Association stress that the first 72 hours remain critical, but cool temperatures and Liam’s outdoor experience offer a sliver of hope.
Back in Grande Cache, porch lights stay on all night not just as beacons, but as promises. A hundred people may walk the woods, but a whole town is holding its breath. And somewhere in the trees, a red jacket might still be moving toward the light.
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