Questions continue to surround the search for 11-year-old Parker Wells, with volunteers and members of the public raising concerns about how the search unfolded and how information provided during the investigation was handled.

Parker who is autistic and nonverbal, was reported missing on July 16 after leaving a day home in northwest Calgary where he had been receiving care. Police said the 11-year-old was last seen at the Connaught Drive N.W. day home sometime between 11:08 and 11:41 a.m. 

Responsive Children’s Supports, the organization caring for Parker, later described his departure as a “sudden exit,” saying staff began searching for him and contacted 911. Clothing believed to belong to Parker was found around noon on nearby Northmount Drive N.W. Police later obtained surveillance footage showing Parker on Travis Crescent N.E. at 12:52 p.m., helping investigators trace his movements after he left the day home.

Questions have since emerged about information provided to police during the search, including reports concerning what appeared to be Parker’s shoe.

According to information provided to Rebel News, a shoe believed to belong to Parker had previously been spotted and reported to police on July 22.

Six days later, on July 28, an autism advocate involved in the volunteer search independently located what was believed to be the same shoe and reported the discovery to police.

According to her account, search teams did return to the area, but only hours after she reported finding the shoe.

The following day, Parker was found deceased in a stormwater culvert beneath Deerfoot Trail.

Rebel News reached out to the Calgary Police Service with a number of questions regarding the search timeline and investigative process, including how tips submitted during the search were received and followed up on.

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Rather than responding to each question individually, police provided Rebel News with the following statement:

We are aware of some concerns regarding the timing and follow up of information provided during the search for Parker. We are working with all partners involved in the search to review and confirm the chronology of information received and the investigative actions taken related to all tips that were submitted.

Parker’s disappearance also raised questions about Alberta’s existing emergency alert system.

His case did not initially meet the criteria for an AMBER Alert because there was no indication he had been abducted. An emergency alert was later issued as the search for Parker continued.

Following Parker’s disappearance, the Alberta government moved to address gaps in the province’s alert system for missing vulnerable people.

The province has since announced an initiative aimed at adjusting the alert system to better address cases involving vulnerable missing people who may not meet the criteria required for an AMBER Alert.

The changes follow renewed discussion over how authorities can quickly notify the public when a vulnerable person disappears, particularly in cases where an abduction is not suspected.

In this report, Rebel News spoke with the autism advocate who was directly involved in the volunteer search and located the shoe on July 28.

She detailed the circumstances surrounding the discovery, the response that followed and her concerns about how information provided during the search was handled.