Search for missing Calgary boy Parker expands to Nose Hill, Confederation Park

The search for 11-year-old Calgary boy Parker entered its sixth day on Tuesday, with volunteer teams expanding their coverage to Nose Hill Park, the industrial area east of Deerfoot Trail, and south to Confederation Park and surrounding public spaces.

Parker was reported missing on July 16 between 11:08 a.m. and 11:41 a.m. from the 0 to 100 block of Connaught Drive NW. Officers later found clothes believed to belong to him at Northmount Drive NW. He is four feet 11 inches tall, approximately 90 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes, and was last seen wearing grey shorts and black noise-cancelling headphones. Parker is autistic and non-verbal; officials advise anyone who sees him not to approach, as he may become scared if confronted by strangers.

Community volunteers have grown the effort dramatically. On July 21, 200 volunteers joined the search; on July 22, around 500 participated. According to Find Parker civilian volunteer search co-ordinator Steven Phan, volunteers have covered 11,000 kilometres since Friday through Monday, accumulating more than 22,500 hours of search time using a grid-based tracking system on searchparker.org.

The volunteer group is not co-ordinating with Calgary police and Search and Rescue, and the public is asked not to interrupt official search efforts. Community members can get involved by visiting the volunteer group's Facebook page or the searchparker.org website.