Search Update: Calgary police release a map of missing boy Parker’s movements as the search enters its sixth day
Parker, 11, last seen in the Thorncliffe neighbourhood on July 16
Calgary police are asking the public for assistance searching for Parker, 11, who has been missing since Thursday morning. (Calgary Police Service)
As the search for a missing 11-year-old boy entered its sixth day on Tuesday, Calgary police say they’ve covered more than 7,000 kilometres looking for him.
In a Tuesday news release, police said roughly 500 people have assisted with the search, including more than 400 Calgary Police Service members and trained volunteers.
Police say personnel have spent more than 5,500 hours searching everything from homes and businesses to rivers and CPKC rail tracks, with help from aircraft, police dogs, bike and horse patrols, and underwater camera deployments by the Calgary Fire Department.
The latest news release included a map of what police believe was Parker’s route last Thursday, the day he went missing. The map outlines his known and believed locations based on CCTV footage.
“We are not giving up,” Calgary police acting Staff Sgt. Scott Guterson said in the release Tuesday.
A day prior, he said that “searches of this degree are very, very rare in Calgary.”
Guterson asked the public to continue checking their yards, garages, open vehicles, RVs, sheds, pools or anywhere else a child would go.
Police are asking anyone with information about Parker’s location, or who may have CCTV or dashcam footage, to call 403-266-1234 or reach the police’s evidence submission portal.
When he went missing on Thursday, Parker was seen shirtless, wearing grey shorts, black Skechers shoes and black noise-cancelling headphones.
He’s four feet 11 inches tall and weighs approximately 90 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. Guterson said Parker is autistic and functions at a two- or three-year-old level.
Earlier this week, police released CCTV footage of the boy they say was captured Thursday at 12:34 p.m. from a business adjacent to McKnight Boulevard and Centre Street N.W. The video was captured prior to previously released footage, Guterson said, in hopes that it will aid with the search.
As of Tuesday, police have received and assessed more than 300 tips from the public, and are reviewing more than 100 hours of CCTV, residential security camera and dashcam footage.
“Every tip is being thoroughly assessed, every lead is being followed and every available resource is being used,” Guterson said.
“We know this case has touched people across Calgary, and we remain grateful for the support we have received from the public.”
Police ask that any Calgarians choosing to search on their own do not interfere with police operations. They also ask any volunteer searchers to be mindful of the heat, so they do not end up requiring attention that could divert first responders from the search for Parker.
Police say they’ve also become aware of members of the public trespassing on private property, confronting others and encouraging people to investigate criminal tips on their own.
“This behaviour is unacceptable and is putting community members at risk,” the CPS statement reads.
“Everyone wants to find Parker, and we understand the emotions involved. But showing up at private homes, confronting residents or organizing your own investigations can hinder our efforts and draws police resources away from the search and investigation.”
CPS also said it is aware of AI-generated, altered and unverified images of Parker or his whereabouts circulating online, and cautioned the public against viewing or sharing the content.
“Unverified images, videos and claims can create confusion, spread misinformation and divert investigative resources away from credible leads that may assist in locating Parker,” CPS said in a social media post on Monday.
Police also encouraged people to be mindful of GoFundMe campaigns claiming to be for Parker, as the family says there are no online fundraisers associated with him.
Guterson advised the public that if they come across Parker, they should not engage him, but instead call police. He said they believe the boy is non-verbal, and gets agitated when strangers approach him.
Police say Parker’s family has expressed that he loves Disney music, so officers have been playing some of his favourite songs from patrol vehicles driving in search areas.
Child last seen on Thursday
After Parker was seen Thursday at his day home in the 0 to 100 block of Connaught Drive N.W. between 11:08 and 11:41 a.m., the boy was seen in the Thorncliffe neighbourhood between 12:30 and 1 p.m., Guterson said.
Clothing that’s believed to belong to Parker was found at noon Thursday in the 0 to 100 block of Northmount Drive N.W., police said.
An emergency alert was broadcast on Saturday afternoon for Parker. Although police previously said the case did not meet the threshold for an Amber Alert, as foul play is not suspected, Calgary police said the provincial government made an exception in this case.
“We are hopeful that expanding the awareness through the Alberta emergency system will generate new information that may help us locate him,” said acting Insp. Rod MacNeil.
On Saturday, police released a CCTV photo of the boy, captured when he was last seen on Thursday on the 5000-6000 block of Travis Crescent N.E.
Footage released by the Calgary Police Service on July 19, shows missing 11-year-old, Parker, walking past a home on Travis Crescent N.E. on Thursday, July 16, 2026.
On Sunday, police released additional CCTV footage of the boy taken at 12:52 p.m. Thursday in the 5500 block of Travis Crescent N.E.
Police also said Sunday that search efforts are being increasingly focused on areas connected to Parker’s last known movements.
Guterson said police know the boy likes water and part of their search has been to check whether he’s near bodies of water.
He said Parker tends to lock doors behind him, meaning people searching their properties should take the time to check behind doors even if they’re locked.
Family issues statement
In a statement, Parker’s family said they have been living “every parent’s worst nightmare” since he went missing.
“Every hour that passes without knowing where he is or whether he is safe has been incredibly difficult for us,” the family said in its statement, sent out by CPS on their behalf shortly after Saturday afternoon’s emergency alert.
The family implored people to continue searching their properties for Parker.
“Parker experiences the world in his own way. He may not respond when his name is called, and he can become frightened when approached by people he does not know,” the family said.
“Parker is deeply loved, and he is missed immensely. We just want our son home.”
Situations like this warrant emergency alert, advocate says
For Calgary mom Stephanie Karas, Saturday afternoon’s emergency alert came far too late.
“We’ve gotten alerts for tornadoes that have not touched down. We’ve gotten alerts for less, so I don’t know why there wasn’t,” she said.
Karas, a mother of two children with autism, says she’s lobbying the municipal and provincial governments to create an emergency alert protocol specifically for situations like this.
“Why isn’t there something for vulnerable youth and adults that aren’t equipped?” Karas said.
“It’s long overdue, so somebody’s got to start it,” she said. “And if the people of Calgary have to start it and are motivated behind Parker, then that’s what we’ll do.”
MacNeil said Calgary police indicated to the province that “it may not be a true Amber Alert, but we need to reach as many Calgarians as we can in such a short amount of time.”
“The government stepped up right away, made that exception and we were able to get that alert out,” he said.
In a statement to CBC News, the provincial government said it “worked closely with CPS to assess the situation and determined that this measure to increase the public’s awareness of this missing child in these extremely particular circumstances was important.”
