Johnson Redhead went missing on Sept. 18 in Shamattawa First Nation. Photo: Manitoba RCMP
The search continues in Shamattawa First Nation for a six-year-old boy missing since Wednesday.
Johnson Redhead, who is non-verbal, was last seen at his school breakfast program in the fly-in Cree community about 1,200 kilometres north of Winnipeg, say RCMP.
“Johnson Redhead had attended the local school and attended the breakfast program until 9 a.m., but did not arrive in class after the program ended,” police said in a news release. “A large-scale search was immediately initiated by community members and RCMP.
“Searchers combed through wooded areas, trails, roads, sheds, and construction equipment looking for the child. RCMP officers obtained video footage from the school in an attempt to ascertain which direction Johnson went or the circumstances surrounding him leaving school property.”
The boy was reported missing at 12:30 p.m., police added.
An RCMP spokesperson noted Friday that Johnson had not yet been found and the detachment was bringing in reinforcements to help with the ongoing search.
Dog and drones
“Police service dog Phlex has arrived in the community with his handler and is involved in the search,” RCMP said in an updated release. “Two drones are now in the community and being used, and a helicopter will be en route as soon as the weather allows.
“In addition, more officers out of Thompson are on their way.”
Sgt. Mark Svaren, the Shamattawa detachment commander, said the search has been all out.
“This search has not stopped in intensity from the moment we received the report up to the present,” he said in the release. “Within minutes of the report, Shamattawa RCMP officers were engaged with the community in the search, and I cannot stress enough how community involvement has been strong and steady from the moment it was realized that Johnson was missing.”
Remote community
The remote community of about 1,400 people is situated on God’s River at the tributary of Echoing River in northern Manitoba.
The RCMP Search and Rescue Team as well as the Office of the Fire Commissioner – with several volunteers from Winnipeg Volunteer Search and Rescue – are assisting with the search, police added in the release, along with members of the Canadian Rangers.
The Rangers are a sub-group of the Canadian Army Reserve who live and work in remote, isolated and coastal regions.
The searchers are using all-terrain and land vehicles as well as covering areas on foot, RCMP noted.
Phone lines were down in the community and messages sent to band leaders for comment on social media were not immediately returned.
Meanwhile, RCMP in British Columbia say a search is underway near Burns Lake, B.C., for a non-verbal 7-year-old girl.
Oaklynn Schwedder, who is from Southbank, was last seen outside her home at 6 pm on Thursday.
She was wearing a red/blue plaid dress, leggings with white bowties and pink socks.
Oaklynn is on the autism spectrum, said police in a release.
Southbank is part of Cheslatta Carrier Nation, a rural community 23 kilometres south of Burns Lake, a village approximately 200 kilometres west of Prince George in northern B.C.
