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In the summer of 2010, a retired couple living in northern Alberta set off on a road trip.
Their plan was to drive their motor home to Abbotsford Airport, where they would rendezvous with their daughter. Except the elderly couple never showed up. Their mysterious disappearance would spark a massive search, a years-long legal drama. It would leave the couple's family devastated and a nation wondering just what happened to Lyle and Marie McCann. Part 1: St. Albert is a small city northwest of Edmonton, Alberta.
and just over 300 miles due north of the US border. It was also the home of Lyle and Marie McCann, a retired couple in their late 70s. On Saturday, July 3rd, 2010, the temperature was a crisp 60 degrees Fahrenheit, but the sun was shining with the promise of warmer temperatures as the day wore on. Lyle and Marie must have thought it was a perfect day for a road trip as they set off from their St. Albert home.
Before leaving town, they stopped at a superstore gas bar, where Lyle filled up the couple's green and white 1999 Gulfstream Sun Voyager motorhome. They were also towing a light green Hyundai Tucson. A week later, Lyle and Marie were due at the Abbotsford Airport, where they would meet their daughter, Prudy. The trip from St. Albert to Abbotsford, British Columbia was 11 hours, but they had given themselves seven days.
They intended to take the scenic route along the Yellowhead Highway, which would take them through Jasper National Park and Mount Robson Park, home of the highest peak in the Rockies. They had booked their first night at the Blue River Campsite in British Columbia. After that, the couple would spend a few days in Kelowna before driving southwest through the Fraser Valley to Abbotsford.
Lyle was 78 and Marie was 77, and their 58th wedding anniversary was just a few weeks away. Despite their age, the McCanns were healthy, active, and seasoned travelers. They regularly drove their motorhome to the US where they stayed for several months at a time. A retired long-haul trucker, Lyle was familiar with mountain roads and was considered a good driver, and the couple never picked up hitchhikers.
Their daughter, Trudy, could only imagine her parents stopping if a woman or child was in distress. And their son, Brett, noted that he and his two siblings didn't worry about Lyle and Marie, even if they hadn't heard from them for a few days. But that was about to change. On July 10th, seven days after Lyle was recorded on CCTV footage filling the RV's gas tank at the gas bar in St. Albert,
Trudy stood at the designated meeting point at the Abbotsford Airport. Her parents were nowhere in sight. No doubt, Trudy felt some unease. Did she call her parents' cell phone and get no answer? Did she contact her siblings? We know she did call a nearby campsite where the family planned to spend the next two weeks. Her unease must have turned to panic when she discovered they had never checked in. That same day, Trudy reported her parents missing.
So where were Lyle and Marie McCann? Part 2: Fire Five days earlier, on July 5th, a campground worker at Minnow Lake Provincial Recreation Area, just a two-hour drive west of St. Albert, noticed a green and white 1999 Gulfstream Sun Voyager motorhome parked in Site 8. Was it supposed to be there? Had the occupants reserved the site?
The worker went over to the motorhome and knocked on the door but got no answer. They decided to check back later, but when they did, the motorhome was gone. Hours later, they saw smoke rising through the trees. Firefighters would find the McCann's RV hidden in the woods and ablaze. Once the fire was out, the couple's motorhome would be nothing but a twisted pile of charred metal. And amid the wreckage, no human remains were found.
Later, the police used the RV's license plate number to call the registered owners, Lyle and Marie McCann. They would get no answer. Part 3: Missing After Trudy contacted the police, news of the missing couple spread rapidly. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police, or RCMP, took command of the search. So just where were the McCanns?
For their family, it was completely out of character for their parents to change their plans without telling them. At this point, the family had no contact with their parents since July 3rd, the day they set off from St. Albert, the same day Lyle McCann was recorded on CCTV footage filling up the RV. In the footage, he is seen wearing a distinctive ball cap from Bogue Brewery in Tasmania.
and Lyle's gas purchase would be the last time the couple's credit card was used. With the McCanns now reported missing, the discovery days earlier of the burned-out RV would make the RCMP extremely concerned for the couple. Were they the victims of foul play? And where was the SUV the McCanns were towing?
Police helicopters, search dogs, rescue teams, and volunteers combed the woods in search of the missing couple. Tips poured into the RCMP. Brett McCann set up a Facebook page which quickly filled with comments from concerned citizens. Now 11 days had passed since the couple set off on their road trip, and the family was frustrated and extremely worried. Brett would make a plea for the public's help in locating his parents.
Then, on July 15th, there was a sighting. A couple reported that they may have seen the McCann's SUV in Prince George, BC, some 365 miles west of the Minnow Lake campground. When quizzed by police, they remembered enough of the license plate to confirm that they had, indeed, seen the missing SUV. There would be two more confirmed sightings in Prince George.
Brett McCann was troubled that his parents would change their route without telling him. "I don't understand why they would stop in Prince George." But he was even more troubled by their silence. Where were Lyle and Marie? With no news, the family tried to remain positive. Two days later, the missing SUV was found near Carrot Creek, an hour and a half west of St. Albert on the Yellowhead Highway, and a six-hour drive from Prince George.
A man doing work on the land found the vehicle in the woods and recognized it from police reports. The RCMP would comb through both the charred remains of the McCants' motorhome and their SUV, looking for clues to the missing couple's whereabouts. By now, two weeks had passed since the family last had contact with their parents. And by now, the RCMP suspected foul play. They also had a suspect in mind.
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The sprawling story of the McCann's disappearance stretches from the city of St. Albert, north of Edmonton, to Abbotsford in southern BC, to Prince George in the north of the province. Tragically, a cluster of locations under two hours west of St. Albert would tell the real story of the McCann's disappearance.
Minnow Lake Campground to the south, Edson to the west, the hamlets of Mackay and Piers to the north, and Carrot Creek and Knighton Junction to the east. Lightly populated and heavily wooded, these places are each within a half hour drive of each other, and all have endless places to conceal unwanted bodies. Travis Edward Vader, the RCMP's person of interest, grew up in Knighton Junction, and he was also missing.
The RCMP requested the public's help locating Travis, but warned that he might be armed and not to approach him. Known to be a drug user, arsonist, and wanted on multiple outstanding warrants, July 2010 would be a desperate point in Travis's life. But there were happier times.
Years earlier, the tall and red-haired Travis worked in Alberta's booming oil industry as a floor hand, rig manager, and finally as a consultant. Just 18 months before he became a person of interest in the McCanns' disappearance, he was earning $1,500 a day and was supporting a wife and nine children. By the summer of 2010, a messy divorce and a drug addiction had left him penniless and living in makeshift camps.
In July of 2010, there were two separate warrants out for Travis' arrest because he had twice failed to show up in court to face charges. One warrant included possession of a banned substance, possession of break-and-enter instruments, and careless use and storage of a firearm. The other included possession of stolen property, mischief, and arson.
The RCMP were looking for him regarding these charges, and because they wanted to talk to him about the McCanns' disappearance. At a community center in Knighton Junction, Travis's father, Ed Vader, spoke to a group of citizens gathered to discuss, ironically, a rise in neighborhood crime. About his son, he said, "I've wanted him arrested for a long time. They had him in jail three or four times. I don't know why they didn't keep him there.
Ed Vader would tell police that he had not seen Travis in two or three months. A resident of Knighton Junction echoed Ed's words: "All I can say is that the guy had been causing trouble for a long time, and I wish he'd been picked up a long time ago." The resident added that in her opinion, the Vaders were scared of their son. She admitted that she was too. But not everyone had such negative feelings about Travis Vader.
Roy Getzen, who grew up with Travis, recalled that he was a nice guy who liked to go hunting. But he also had a reputation as a fighter. If he got to a bar, he'd get into a fight. Roy's father owned a sawmill and Travis had worked for him. But that was a while ago, and Roy hadn't kept up with Travis. He admitted that seeing his mugshot was a shock. Part 5. A History of Arson
On July 18th, over a week since Lyle and Marie McCann set out on their road trip, a fire was reported near Knighton Junction. Was it related to their disappearance? The fire destroyed a log home, outbuildings, and vehicles. There were three separate burn sites, and the grass between each was untouched. Was Travis responsible for this fire? We know he had a history of arson.
In 2004, after his wife left with the children and moved in with her mother, she would find the family home engulfed in flames. Years later, Travis' son Chad would recall that the family suspected Travis had set the fire. The family would also tell the RCMP they had not seen or heard from Travis in two years. So where was Travis Vader? And where were the McCanns? By now, the formal search for the elderly couple had been called off.
though the police still sought the public's help in finding them. With a heavy heart, Brett McCann told the media that his dad was a real gentleman and that his mother loved her garden and her grandkids, and that she was known for her Saskatoon berry pie. On July 19, 2010, 16 days since the McCanns were last heard from, Travis Vader was arrested in McKay, a hamlet just north of Knighton Junction and just up the road from his parents' house.
At 3 a.m., the tactical squad surrounded the house, but Travis would surrender without incident. Donald Bulmer lived in the house where Travis was staying. He told the RCMP that Travis had stayed there once before, but that he had kicked him out because he was causing problems. He also didn't think Travis was a murderer. If he did something like that, I'd be shocked. As July wore on, the McCann siblings tried to remain positive.
They provided DNA samples to the RCMP. They also received letters of apology from Travis's family. Brett McCann would speak out, urging Travis to reveal what he knew of his parents' disappearance. Meanwhile, Travis was transferred to the Edmonton Remand Center. Part 6. Vigil of Hope
On July 24th, a vigil for the missing couple was held in their hometown of St. Albert. Hundreds of friends, family and strangers gathered and lit candles. News of the McCanns' disappearance had sent chills across the country, and people from one end of Canada to the other promised to leave their porch lights on until the McCanns were safely home. Trudy said, "The purpose of the vigil is to light the way for mom and dad to come home."
The couple had not been seen in three weeks. Three days later, the McCanns were legally declared dead. The public was welcomed to a celebration of life at St. Albert's Catholic Church, but the family still wanted answers. At the beginning of August, Brett and his siblings led a postering campaign to keep the search for their parents alive. At the end of August, hunting season was about to start, and hunters were advised to keep watch for any sign of the couple.
By now, 6,000 posters had gone up, and a reward funded by public donations had reached $45,000 for information about the missing couple. Then, on September 1st, Travis Vader was named a suspect in the case. This meant the police had sufficient evidence against him. But when would the trial start? Travis had been held for six weeks.
Meanwhile, the search for evidence continued with the RCMP scouring vacant land owned by a friend of Travis's. Later, neighbors would say that as soon as Travis was arrested, they saw people hauling stuff off the property. About the RCMP's search, one neighbor said, "They're too late." At the end of September, family and friends of the McCanns started their own search through the forest and trails around Edson.
The family also bought billboards along the Yellowhead Highway. They were desperate for answers. Back in Knighton Junction, Travis' dad, Ed, had changed his opinion of his son. He would tell the Canadian press that he spoke to Travis and that his son had no hand in the disappearance of the McCanns. Ed also thought the RCMP had bungled the case and that they'd focused on Travis because he was an easy pick.
With winter coming, the family called off the search. At the end of July 2011, and over a year since the mysterious disappearance of Lyle and Marie McCann, the couple was symbolically laid to rest. Part 7: Courtroom Drama By now, Travis Vader had been held for months, and often in segregation. In August of 2011, his lawyer complained that Travis had been beaten by guards.
Citing the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, Travis' lawyer said, "He's a human being. He's a Canadian citizen. And he's entitled to decent treatment in custody." The calendar turned to 2012. And in October of that year, the trial finally started. But not for the missing couple. Travis would stand trial for the charges he racked up before the McCanns vanished. One occurred in December of 2009.
Wayne Sparshue testified that he heard a truck on his property and found Travis trying to steal his trailer. After Wayne confronted him, Travis backed down and drove away. But then he stopped and got out of his truck and walked over to Wayne. Travis held a screwdriver in his hand. Again, Wayne told him to leave, and this time he did. Wayne also took note of the truck's plates, then called the police.
Days later, they would find the truck Travis was driving. Travis was convicted on 12 charges, including breaking and entering, theft, possession of stolen property, attempted theft, operating a vehicle while disqualified, and arson. Justice Joanne Veldt handed Travis a sentence of 33 and a half months.
But after noting that he had endured six months in isolation and had suffered abuse from other inmates and guards, she reduced his sentence to just one day. But Travis would remain in custody on the other outstanding warrant. And regarding the McCann's disappearance, he had still not been charged.
The calendar turned to 2012, a year and a half since the elderly couple had vanished. Now, the RCMP sought the public's help in locating the person or persons who made a welding modification to the McCann's towing assembly used to pull their SUV. According to the RCMP, the assembly was removed from Lyle's Dodge Ram truck, then modified by an unknown welder and reinstalled on the SUV.
The RCMP attempted to locate the person or garage who had done this work. Would this detail help solve the case? Then, on June 6th, 2012, nearly two years after the McCann's disappearance, Travis Vader was charged with two counts of first-degree murder. He would plead not guilty. His trial was set for April of 2014.
But two months before the trial began, Travis sued the RCMP for $150,000. He claimed they had set him up on an obstruction of justice charge to buy time to collect evidence against him and to increase his mental stress. Then, a month before the trial began, the Crown kept the charges against Travis because of new evidence supplied by the RCMP. The Crown's case appeared to crumble.
But Travis was not yet a free man. He was still being held on charges unrelated to the McCanns' disappearance. Would the McCann children ever find out what happened to their parents?
With the Crown's case against him falling apart, Travis seized the moment and filed a million-dollar lawsuit against nearly 60 people, including RCMP officers, the Crown prosecutor of Edmonton, the Attorney General of Canada, correctional guards, sheriffs, and an alleged police informant.
In his lawsuit, he alleged the RCMP and Crown had deliberately prolonged the prosecution of the homicide charges despite the knowledge that there was no reasonable prospect of conviction. Months later, a correctional officer charged that Travis threatened to kill him. Travis would be acquitted of this charge too. In the fall of 2014, Travis was acquitted on all remaining charges.
After more than four years behind bars, he finally walked free. His lawyers would tell reporters that "I suspect this is the last you will hear of Travis Vader." The lawyer's words would be proved wrong. Two months later, the charges against Travis were recommenced by the Crown. And again, Travis Vader was arrested without incident. The calendar turned to 2015 and Travis was out on bail.
But after being charged with assault on his mother's boyfriend, he was back in custody. Two months later, he was again granted bail, but would be re-arrested for two alleged assaults. This time, bail was denied. In the fall of 2015, Travis was out on bail again, and again, he would be re-arrested for obstruction of justice and two breaches of his bail conditions.
Then, after nearly six years, Travis's murder trial was finally set to begin in March of 2016. The Crown presented their evidence and described what they believe happened to the McCanns. Part 8, July 3rd, 2010. Lyle and Marie McCann were last seen on CCTV footage at the St. Albert Superstore buying gas. The time was 10:08 a.m. on Saturday, July 3rd.
They then headed west on the Yellowhead Highway. On the same day, Travis Edward Bader drove to a friend's place in a stolen Ford F-350 truck. The truck was running low on oil, but Bader was penniless, so his friend gave him some lawnmower oil. Travis would leave his friend's place around 12:15 p.m. Two hours later, around 2:15 p.m., Travis used the McCann cell phone to call a former girlfriend.
He would use the McCann's phone to make other calls and texts. Then, at around 5:15 pm, he returned to his friend's place. But now he was driving the McCann's SUV. And now he had money. He gave his friend $50 to buy some beer and to add minutes to his phone. The friend did as requested and purchased some cans of boxer beer.
The two men would drink beer before Travis left with the remaining beer around 7 p.m. Two days later, on July 5th, Travis moved the McCann's motorhome to the Carrot Creek campground and set it on fire. Four days later, he drove the stolen Ford F-350 to a remote area and set it on fire too. The RCMP would find the key fob for the McCann's SUV in the back of the burned-out truck.
On July 19th, the police found the McCann's abandoned SUV east of the town of Edson. And inside it, they located Travis's fingerprints on a can of boxer beer and other items. His blood was also found inside. And so too, was the distinctive Bogue brewery ball cap Lyle McCann had been wearing when he was last seen filling up his RV.
Analysis would show the cap had a hole in it, indicating a bullet had entered through the top of the brim and exited through the bottom. Firearm residue and blood were both found on the ball cap, and the blood belonged to Lyle McCann. On September 15th, 2016, Travis Edward Vader was found guilty of second-degree murder.
A week later, Travis' lawyers would file an appeal citing the use of an unconstitutional section of the Canadian Criminal Code in the judge's conviction, and consequently, they wanted the convictions vacated and the judge to declare a mistrial. Remarkably, the judge would admit to the error and ultimately downgrade Travis' conviction to two counts of manslaughter, to be served concurrently.
On January 25th, 2017, Travis was sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for at least seven years. Again, Travis's lawyers appealed the sentence, but this time, the High Court rejected the appeal. Tragically, the evidence suggested that the McCanns were murdered just hours after they left for their vacation. Their remains have never been found.
Trudy last spoke to her father on the morning of July 3rd, 2010, and recalled him saying, "We're on our way. We'll see you in a week or so."
