FAMILY SEARCHES INTO THE NIGHT: DARIUS, 6, STILL MISSING AFTER FAMILY CAMPING TRIP

Summary

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Crime Stories with Nancy Grace

Episode: FAMILY SEARCHES INTO THE NIGHT: DARIUS, 6, STILL MISSING AFTER FAMILY CAMPING TRIP
Date: December 6, 2025
Host: Nancy Grace

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Main Theme & Purpose

Nancy Grace investigates the disappearance of six-year-old Darius McDougal during a family camping trip in Crow's Nest Pass, Alberta, Canada. The episode explores the timeline, family dynamics, search efforts, terrain challenges, and public reaction as an all-star panel of experts breaks down what is known, addresses social media speculation, and assesses what might have happened to Darius.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Timeline of Disappearance

• Darius, his sister, and a cousin were playing on a small island within view of the adults, who were busy packing up to leave the campsite. In a moment, Darius is gone.
• The family claims to have turned their backs "for a second" ([03:25]), then realized he was missing.
• The father and grandfather immediately searched the island in different directions, hoping to quickly locate Darius but found nothing.
• After searching on their own for about an hour with no result, the family called 911 ([34:00]).

2. Terrain Challenges & Search Difficulties

• Crow's Nest Pass is rugged, mountainous, and forested; full of rivers, creeks, and bogs – a "worst-case scenario when searching for a lost child" ([03:50]).
  • “This terrain is possibly some of the least ideal terrain for a search like this to take place.” – Brian Fitzgibbons ([04:18])
• Heavy woods, bodies of water, and bogs make it easy for a child to get disoriented and difficult for searchers with or without dogs ([05:40]).
• Young children, especially those with autism (like Darius), may panic, hide, or become non-responsive when lost ([06:45], Dr. Trey Sargent).

3. Family Dynamics & Public Scrutiny

• The presence of multiple adults (parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, father's girlfriend Buffy and her daughter Kaya) creates public confusion and suspicion about possible neglect or foul play ([07:55]).
• Social media has resulted in attacks and speculation, particularly against the parents ([17:30]).
  • “The best parents have to load the car... it happens.” – Nancy Grace ([17:54])
• Panelists stress that blaming the family—with no evidence—is “vile” and wrong ([22:50]).
  • “To blame the family for any of this is so sad, Nancy.” – Karen Stark ([23:21])

4. Search Operation Details

• Over 400 volunteers and 60 RCMP Specialized Tactical Support officers involved, covering 22 square km, 11,000 hours on the ground ([30:06]).
• Resources included helicopters, drones, horses, dogs, boats, and sonar, yet:
  • “No clothing, no footprints, no signs of Darius were found.” ([44:36])
  • Cadaver dogs returned no hits for Darius ([44:49]).

5. Consideration of Possible Scenarios

• Wandering, Hiding, or Accidental Injury:
  • Autism may make Darius more likely to hide or not respond to calls.
  • His favorite song was played during the search in hopes that it would draw him out ([11:25]).
• Foul Play vs. Stranger Abduction:
  • Panel notes the statistical likelihood that missing children cases involve someone known to the child ([26:39]).
  • However, the area is highly-trafficked (300,000 annual visitors), which raises the possibility of stranger abduction; national parks/remote campgrounds have been hunting grounds for predators ([42:00], [43:20]).
    • "You ever heard the name Israel Keys?... he loved national parks, RV camps, people camping in tents. He loved it." – Nancy Grace ([42:51])
• Animal Attack:
  • High bear population in the area ([46:20]), but experts doubt a bear would carry a child miles away without leaving evidence; cadaver dogs would likely detect remains ([47:21]).
• No Evidence Found:
  • No trace—not even a shoe, a shirt, or blood—leading to deepening frustration for investigators and the family.

6. Statistical and Psychological Analysis

• Psychological experts emphasize that blaming the family is often a psychological mechanism for outsiders to feel safe ("That would never happen to me because I'd do it differently.") ([25:34]).
• Extensive search efforts have eliminated much of the area, yet no clarity has emerged on what happened to Darius.

7. Tragic New Development

• Kaya Warrior, the six-year-old daughter of the father's girlfriend who played with Darius at the time of disappearance, has since died unexpectedly from a medical emergency, deemed unrelated by investigators ([48:06]).
  • “There are no coincidences in criminal law. And there's the old saying––lightning doesn't strike twice.” – Ann Bremner ([49:36])

8. Investigative Gaps and Unanswered Questions

• Elements of the timeline and the claim that Darius vanished in a "second" remain hard for experts to reconcile.
  • “How can you say he was there, I turned my back, I turned around, and he was gone? That part's not making sense to me.” – Nancy Grace ([35:35])
• Authorities have publicly ruled out foul play, but experts and Nancy Grace question how this can be definitive in the absence of evidence ([36:56]).

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Loss and Panic:
  • “Everything else seemed to be a blur... except for clutching Lucy and running to those front doors.” – Nancy Grace, reflecting on losing her own child for a moment ([08:30])
• Family Support:
  • “When someone's going through something this traumatic... why did it pile on? They're trying to find their loved one... they're being kicked when they're down.” – Ann Bremner ([17:30])
• On Public Blame:
  • “It's just so easy to attack someone without understanding how difficult it is to deal with a child who's autistic... to blame the family for this is so sad.” – Karen Stark ([23:00])
• On Social Media's Role:
  • “Why do so many people... want to blame families?... These conspiracy theorists and those that want to blame families... let these cases get investigated in due course.” – Ann Bremner ([25:34])
• On the Search Effort:
  • “More than 400 search and rescue volunteers from 50 teams... 11,000 hours on the ground... no clothing, no footprints, no signs of Darius were found.” – Bridge City News ([30:20])
• Expert Skepticism:
  • “If you could rule out that there was no foul play, we would either have found Darius or found evidence... It's impossible to rule out foul play here, in my opinion.” – Brian Fitzgibbons ([37:17])
• Serial Killer Risk in National Parks:
  • “You ever heard the name Israel Keys? He loved national parks, RV camps... a stalker's happy hunting ground.” – Nancy Grace ([42:51])
• Tragic Coincidence:
  • “Kaya, also six years old, playing with Darius at the time he goes missing. She's dead... Lightning doesn't strike twice.” – Ann Bremner ([49:36])

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Important Timestamps

• 00:00–02:15 – Commercials and intro (skipped)
• 02:21 – Case introduction, terrain description
• 03:25 – Timeline of Darius' disappearance
• 05:40–07:55 – Child psychology and panic when a child is lost
• 09:39 – Broader commentary on disorientation and search tactics
• 11:25 – Tactics to lure Darius out: playing his favorite song
• 17:06 – Family comes under social media scrutiny and analysis from legal and clinical experts
• 21:25–22:50 – Search logistics and family composition
• 23:21 – Public blame and how children with autism can disappear quickly
• 25:34–27:06 – Statistical likelihoods and effects of armchair commentary
• 29:12–33:40 – Bog description and massive scope of search
• 34:00 – Timeline: family searches one hour before calling authorities
• 36:56–37:59 – Discussion on foul play: can police truly rule it out?
• 41:26–43:49 – Volume of visitors to Crowsnest Pass and abduction risks
• 44:36–45:56 – Full scope of search, no evidence found, cadaver dog discussion
• 46:20–47:40 – Animal activity vs. abduction vs. accident theories
• 48:06–49:36 – Kaya’s death and the question of “lightning strikes twice”
• 49:36–51:07 – Final appeals, direct messages from family and law enforcement

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Conclusion & Appeal

• Despite a massive, thorough search, there is no trace of Darius—no evidence of accident, no physical evidence, and no leads pointing to abduction or foul play.
• The discussion underscores the unpredictability of missing children cases, the pain of families under public scrutiny, and the challenges unique to children with autism in emergency situations.
• Panelists urge anyone with information to contact authorities: Tip line: 403-562-2866
• The episode closes with a call to remember Darius and the plea to keep sharing his photo, holding onto the hope for his safe return.

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Transcript

[A]

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Crime Stories with Nancy Grace.

We searched into the night, says a desperate family after little Darius, just six years old, vanishes on an extended family camping trip. How could a little six year old boy vanish into thin air while the adults were watching him play with other children? I'm Nancy Grace. This is Crime Stories. I want to thank you for being with us. What was meant to be a peaceful family getaway in the wilderness of Alberta, Canada, has turned into a devastating mystery. The McDougall family, eager to create Lasting memories was thrown into chaos when one of the young children wandered off. I have taken the children from a very young age all across the country, RVing and camping. I'm not sure how you lose a child on a camping trip, but it's happened a lot. This isn't the first time a child has gone missing on a camping trip.

Parents, the grandparents, there was extended family or family friends there. They were all packing to leave and go back home. And you know when you're packing, packing up the RV or the station wagon or the suv, you turn your back, right? You're loading it up, everything's running crazy. But how could a little boy vanish into thin air and be gone so quickly he can't be found. Okay, let's start at the beginning. Listen. Six year old Darius on a camping trip with dad, Grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, Dad's girlfriend Buffy and her daughter Kaya. The family gathers to celebrate family birthdays, camping in Crow's Nest Pass with rivers, creeks, hiking areas and small islands close to shore where the children love to play. Let me just start right there because I need to understand the terrain. Joining me in all star panel, but I want to go first to step, Stephen Tipper joining us from Post Media. Stephen, thank you for being with us. Could you just, let me just start with the terrain where they were camping. Tell me about it. Yeah, it's a very uneven terrain. I mean, lots of different kinds from, you know, level ground to high level, you know, mountainous terrain. You know, there's, there's bodies of water there. It's, it's, you know, obviously in the Rockies. So it's, you know, there's quite a varied, you know, mixture of, I mean the, that they were looking at those trees. Steven Tipper, Stephen joining us, investigative reporter with Post Media. Check it out. Brian Fitzgibbon, Fitzgibbons director Operations, USPA Nationwide Security who leads a team of expert investigators specializing in finding missing people. Look at those trees, Brian. I mean, what I'm saying is a child gets lost in those trees, that's going to be really hard to find. Even with dogs, even with cadets. Shoulder to shoulder. Did you see that picture we just showed Fitzgibbons? Yeah, absolutely. This is rugged terrain, Nancy. And you can see as you know, the thick forest, the dense forest there makes not only the search complicated but, but for the six year old child who's missing, he's, he's quickly disoriented once he's separated from his group. So, you know, this terrain is possibly some of the least ideal terrain for a search like this to take place. FITZ Gibbons, I worked as a heightmaster at teaching tree identification. Believe it or not, in a national forest I always had to carry a compass with me just in case you get disoriented like you were just saying in those trees where everywhere you look everything looks the same. That happens, It's a phenomenon. Dr. Trey Sargent joining us, PhD in psychology, focus on victimology and in a previous life search, rescue, recovery expert. It happens, it's a phenomenon. You get in those trees and they all seem to look alike and you get turned around and you don't know which way where you came from or where you're trying to go if you don't have a compass, much less a six year old little boy. That's absolutely right Nancy. Children at this age don't have the capability and the maturity and the growth of their minds to understand where they are, how to get back where they want to be. They become very disoriented, they become very frightened. Oftentimes they hide because that they survival mechanism. Oftentimes they cover themselves up, they get underneath logs. Not only the challenge of the terrain itself, but then you have this very, very small child in itself. It's going to be very difficult to see even in the best of circumstances. And to Karen Stark joining us, forensic psychologist, renowned TV radio trauma [e-mail] Karen okay, just for a moment, don't think about the little six year old, think about the family when they realize he's gone. And I'm still, I got to get back with Steven Tipper about this. I still don't get how they're camping. They see him playing with the other children, they're packing, they turn around, he's gone. I'm trying to figure out that timeline but think about them suddenly looking for him, Karen and they're upset and emotional and they're going into the trees and everybody's disseminating and it's basically all H double L breaks loose without a doubt because how can you not be so upset? This is a 6 year old, their child, their grandchild, their relative and friends and everybody is searching for this little boy. They would be in a complete panic. Nancy, you would be. I would be. What can happen? Anything. Well, you know, put Karen Stark up please. Karen, you and I talked after this happened and this is just a very small, very small, small comparison. I've told you when John Dave, about John David when he was before he was three and we were in that giant super baby superstore and I was down, crouched down, trying to find organic sunscreen. Anyway, I stood up, I turned around, there was Lucy. No John David. Remember I picked Lucy up like a football and started running and screaming to lock the doors up front that my son was missing. Now that you're talking, I've never thought about this before, but everything else seemed to be a blur, like a dark gray, reddish blur all around me, except for clutching Lucy and running to those front doors. I don't even know why I was running toward the front doors. I guess to try to stop the doors from opening and somebody taking him out. Little did I know he was playing hide and seek with Mommy and was a few rows away, but it took a minute to find him. But when you say they get disoriented.

That can happen because you're so focused, tunnel vision on where is he? You're not thinking about what's happening around you. And they're like as you described, Nancy, in suspended animation in a way because you really don't know what to do. You're not aware of what you're doing, Your heart is stopped, you can't breathe and you're just panicking. How can you not? That's exactly what happened with you and John David. I'm trying to figure out though, how he could get away. Karen Stark and just like that, as a matter of fact, I want you to hear these facts before we analyze any further tonight. Where is this six year old little boy? How did he just vanish into thin air? Listen to this. As the family's packing up to head home, Darius, Kaya and a cousin are on a small island directly across from the camping area, in clear view of the adults. The children turn their back for a second and Darius is gone. Father and grandfather immediately begin searching, going different directions on the small island to cover the entire area, planning to find Darius before they meet in the middle. Steven Tipper joining us, investigative reporter with Post Media. Steven, again, thank you for being with us tonight. Steven. I'm still trying to nail down exactly what happened and I'm not saying it didn't happen just like they're describing it. I remember when Samantha Runyon went missing, she was with her grandma and grandma was at, I think the kitchen sink looking out into the front yard where Samantha 3 was playing with some other children. And a guy comes up and takes her out of the front yard just like that. And before grandma can get out there, he was gone 60 miles per hour. So it can happen just like that. But I need to understand the Runyon case. Explain to me Again, how did this happen? Yeah, so, I mean, they were packing up and getting ready to leave, as you say. And I mean, you know, they just turn their backs. That's what the family says. And he was gone. You know, Darius is autistic. He doesn't like loud noises or bright lights. And that kind of did affect the search. You know, the searchers did avoid those kinds of things. They avoided making loud noises or bright lights during the search. Steven, I don't understand that. I do not understand. How can you avoid loud noises and lights during a search? You've got to call out for the boy. Maybe on a loudspeaker, maybe, you know, and as it got darker, I'm sure that they were using bright lights. How were they avoiding loud sounds and bright lights in searching for him? Right. I mean. I mean, to the best of the rapids. I'm sure that they were doing that. There were some sounds that he found appealing as well. He had a favorite song that they would use extensively during the search. They didn't say what that song was, but certainly, you know, there were efforts to try and appeal to Darius. Steven, I see what you're saying. Would that be soothing to him? Karen, start. They were trying to play his favorite. Maybe it was a lullaby. They haven't told us what the song was. Trying to find him and lure him out. I think that that was a brilliant idea, Nancy, because children who are autistic, they don't necessarily respond to calling you their name. Sometimes they're afraid, sometimes they're distracted, and yet they need to be able to reach him. So playing his favorite song, that might be something that he could respond to. They get easily distracted. That happens all the time. They're impulsive and they get scared. Any little child will get scared, but if you're autistic, you're particularly scared, frightened. They were in the forest.

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Joining me now, high profile Seattle lawyer Ann Bremner. This is her neck of the wood. She's a veteran trial lawyer, legal analyst, authority, justice in the age of judgment. Ann Bremmer, I'm going to thank you for being with us when we were just describing there was Steven Tipper talking about it from postmedia and Karen Stark about playing the music. All I can think about Ann is as I still call him, Ann. You haven't seen him in a couple of years, but John David is 66 now. But I still think of him as little Lucy and baby John David. And I can just. All I can do, Ann, is think about baby John David out in that forest. And I'm trying to play his favorite lullaby or song to lure him out. And a lot of people have been attacking the family and the parents. And I really believe that is uncalled for. Just like when I was in the superstore, I was down on a floor level shelf trying to find organic suntan lotion. And I was staring right at John David for a good 30 seconds to a minute. He had on those little tennis shoes and he ran several aisles away. It happens that the best parents have to load the car. The best parents, you know, go in the kitchen to turn off the lady peas. I mean, I don't. And another thing, Ann Bremmer, regarding the attacks on the family, for one of the family members to have been, let's just put it out there. To be responsible for his disappearance. What, is there a big conspiracy and all the other family members are lying about it, not telling what they know? I find that hard to believe that other family members are covering up for one family member that was either negligent or intentionally vindictive or evil. I don't believe it. Well, Nancy, it's such an honor and a pleasure to be on with you again. And that's brilliant. I mean, you're right. I mean, how could everybody there conspire to cover up a disappearance that was something that was caused by one person? I mean, that's just something that's going to be so difficult to stomach for anybody. And so the other thing is, like you said, when someone's going through something this traumatic, like when you lost John David, God forbid, for a short period of time, why did it pile on? You know, I think they're having to stop their comments on social media because people are attacking them, you know, just kicking them when they're down. They're trying to find their loved one. And, you know, I live in a state that's got a lot of mountains and a lot of mostly trees in Washington state, fir trees. And people get lost. Adults, too. Okay, Ann Bramner, you're a veteran trial lawyer, and you got to give me more than that. You would never stand in front of an appellate court where you've been many times, or a trial judge where you've been even more times and say, hey, it happens. I need to understand how it happened, because we all used Mark Class as the gold standard. When his daughter Polly went missing and police came to his door, the parents were separated and said, hey, your daughter's missing. He said, fine, take my fingerprints, look at my house, go to my office, look at my car. We'll do whatever you have to do so you, Louisiana, law enforcement can move on to find my daughter and who took her. And they did. And he was cooperative. These parents have been completely cooperative. But a lot of people online are stuck on the parents. Now let's analyze why it's not the family. Well, yeah, I mean, the bottom line is that why would they, why would they do this? You know, what's the motive and where did he go? I mean, where's the evidence that somehow they secreted him someplace? Now that's important because you and I both learned and not to say why. You know, why would anybody kill their child? Why? There is no good why. But that's a good point. A.

Go where? Where are you going to go? Your whole family's there, your vehicles are there. Where are you going to hide the child? And B, you would have to believe the entire group was covering for one of the perps, that is the mom or dad. That simply is not feasible. Okay, listen to this. Searching the island and screaming his name, Darius seems to have vanished into thin air. 911 is called and within 20 minutes a command post is set up and organized searches by the rcmp. Search and rescue begin. The weather is in our favor.

The young man does not suffer from any health issues.

There is no reason to believe that there will not be a positive outcome. Global news. Six year old Darius McDougal, known for his infectious laughter and playful spirit, joined his father and sister's girlfriend on a camping trip. They met up with with family ready to create cherished memories. But amidst the joy, an unthinkable event was about to unfold. Straight out to Steven Tipper joining us, investigative reporter, Post Media. Could you explain to me who all was on this camping trip? They were there celebrating multiple birthdays. Who was there? Yeah. So Darius's father is a grandfather, grandmother.

The father's girlfriend and her daughter were there as well as various aunts and uncles and cousins were all there. You know to Karen Stark joining us, forensic psychologist. Many people, and I'm not agreeing with them, but I want to address it with you. Many people are attacking the family, saying they just got tired of dealing with an autistic child. I find that vile to say the parents didn't care about him because he's autistic or they had just reached their limit. So what, they killed him? I'm not buying into that. At all. Could you please address that? Well, you know, that's what happens in these days. It's really terrible where people start attacking somebody, especially under these circumstances. They're traumatized by the loss of their child. And I think that it's just so easy to attack someone without understanding how difficult it is to deal with a child who's autistic. You could keep your eye on them all the time and blink and they'd be gone. They are distracted so easily. They can't help it. And they're impulsive, they run away. They're sensitive. Every noise could bother them. They. So it takes an incredible amount of work. And to blame the family for any of this is so sad, Nancy. It's sad that that keeps happening too, don't you think? Well, you know, I get the feeling of some of the blamers, you know. To Ann Grimner, high profile lawyer joining us out of Seattle. Ann, I think that for a lot of people it feels better to have somebody to blame because you're like, I think I know what it is actually, and I'm going to ask our shrinks about this. You think, oh, the family wasn't watching him. That's how he got away. That's why he's missing. Because it makes you feel safer. Because in your mind you're like, well, I would never do that. You know, you can extrapolate this. Anne Bremmer, for instance, whenever. Let's just think about Molly Tibbets or Karina. There's so many. When women are out jogging and they get attacked and, or murdered, naysayers say, oh, well, why was she jogging alone? Or why was she jogging at night? Or why was she jogging in a jogging bra? I mean, you can just fill in the blank because it makes you feel better, makes you feel safe. Because you can say, well, I would never do that. I wonder if people just need somebody to blame. But that's really not helping, Helping the search effort. No, but you're so right on, like Shade and Freud and like looking at something like this, like, why do so many people like to, you know, watch and learn about true crime? It's the same thing. I don't want it to happen to me. That must have been something, must have been a jogging bra. It must have been where they went at night. It must have been, you know, anything that. To look at and to blame. And finally, you know, with social media these days, you know, everybody's commenting on all these cases and they're like, oh, well, I figure the parents did it, you know, all the kind of things we never really saw before. When you see everything on Twitter and Facebook and TikTok and everything else, these conspiracy theorists and those that want to blame families and blame people involved in a tragedy, let these cases get, you know, investigated in due course, then we'll know what the real situation. There's another issue there, though. Anne Bremmer because Fitzgibbons joining me, Brian Fitzgibbons from USPA Nationwide Security. Brian, the statistics are when a child goes missing.

Or is killed, overwhelmingly it's someone close to the child, the parents, the auntie, the next door neighbor, I'm moving out now, the neighbor, some weird teacher that has a fixation on the child, but typically within the family. So there is that statistic that doesn't make it true here, but that statistic is looming.

The numbers don't lie about that, Nancy. That is for sure. And in this case it's not, you know, I'll disagree, you know, with the previous comment. You know, this is not a conspiracy. It's not out of the ordinary. You know, this group was isolated camping, so no one else effectively was near, nearby them or knew who this boy was. So for the public to show a tremendous amount of concern that it was, you know, had something to do with the parents, it doesn't surprise me. I'm not saying that they did. It just does not surprise me. Guys, I just want to give you a tip line really quickly. 403562866 repeat, 403-562-2866. So the search is on initially. You go from a point last seen and you can expand your radius from there. We rely on our search and rescue experts for that. There are two small rivers that are also in play. There's a large bog that we continue to search and some fairly steep, rugged, forested terrain. From our friends at Global News, straight back out to you, Steven Tipper, what is he describing? A large bog, right? I mean, that was among the, you know, the bodies of water that were searched more than once during the 11 days that that they were looking for. DARIUS it was, you know, there were extensive resources obviously pulled in and that was among them, the areas that were searched. Dr. Trey Sargent joining us, Ph.D. in psychology, but also previously search rescue recovery expert. My understanding of what a bog is is like a freshwater marsh. It's spongy.

Quicksand would be overstating it, but mushy earth.

Kind of like mud, I would say, with some growth in it such as reeds or cattails. That's how I Picture bog, very difficult to search in. But also I'm wondering if a little boy, like this little boy could get in that and get into the bog and perish in the bog. It's kind of like a soft, spongy accumulation of dirt, clay and plant, right? Yeah. So the bog itself is exactly as you described, Nancy. And looking at the clips of the search area, it's really extremely difficult to find this child in those kind of conditions. And now you add the bogus, the water, and just really extremely extraordinary difficult circumstances. It's really going to take all types of resources to find this child. From dogs to helicopters, searchers, drones, ATVs, even horseback boaters, every kind of resource is going to be needed to find this child. And this extremely difficult search conditions in the terrain that they're working under. Well, the search and rescue volunteers mount to over 400 people. Listen. More than 400 search and rescue volunteers from 50 teams are to search for Darius. These volunteers contributed to 11,000 hours of search effort on the ground. They were joined by 60 members of the RCMP Specialized Tactical Support Group that were directly involved in searching for Darius. The search extended up to 12km from where Darius was last seen. The distance traveled by ground search assets inside that 22 square kilometers on field tasks was more than 5,300 kilometers. The search extended up to 12 kilometers from where Darius was last seen. The distance traveled by ground search assets inside that 22 square kilometers on field tasks was more than 5,300 kilometers. Bridge City News. Just across the creek, Darius was playing with other children near the campsite, and the adults were keeping a watchful eye. But in a single fleeting moment of distraction, little Darius vanished. Joining me now, Crime Stories, investigative reporter on the case, Dave Mack. Dave, let me understand what I'm just hearing. So the little boy Darius is on the other side of a river or a stream, playing on an island. What? Yeah, it's. Nancy. The camping area actually is right on the water. And you're talking about an area that has. It does have creeks and streams and ponds. In this particular case, you've got creek. And it's not a big distance. It's right there, maybe 20, 30 yards, Nancy. And they can see the children playing on this little island. Now, as a parent, when your children are with other children, we tend to feel a little bit safer in what's taking place, the whole safety in numbers. And while they're packing up, they're all keeping an eye on the children. It's not just one parent's child. It's Multiple parents and family members that are watching after these children that are playing in a confined area. The shocking part of all of this is that they were right there and the children are the ones that said, we turned our back and he was gone. Friends and family create a Facebook page bring Darius McDougal home, where the family posts their first message to the public. In the post, they explain arriving at the campsite on Friday with the extended family members together and celebrate what they call a few birthdays as the adults pack to go home. The kids were playing on the island adjacent the camp, just across the creek where the adults could see them. Darius, Kaya and a cousin were walking, playing together with other kids close by. They turned their backs and Darius was gone. Okay, granted, it doesn't make sense to me. They turn their back and now he's gone. STEVEN TIPPER I'm not saying that's not correct. I'm just trying to understand so I can piece together some semblance of a timeline. Because nobody can just vanish like that. When you turn your back and you turn back around. There had to be some intervening time period, something.

What are you learning? I mean, there's been little that it's been, you know, given to us by the family other than the public statement that they made this week. You know, and the RCMP said that they were.

They received a call at 11:30 on that Sunday morning and, you know, of a missing boy. There's, you know, that's. The call came in about, after, about an hour after the family had begun their search for Darius. You know, Ann Bremmer, right there. They waited an hour to call 91 1. I also do not find that disturbing. And I'll tell you why. Unlike a child that goes missing from their own home, when the child is supposed to be asleep and you go in the next morning and they're gone. This is a lot different because they're out camping. They started looking for him first, and then when they couldn't find him, they call 91 1. I don't find that unusual. ANNE BREMNER not at all. Yeah, I don't either, Nancy. I mean, the fact is, is that they're thinking, well, he's got to be here somewhere. I mean, you know, he was just here with everybody, and everyone just saw him. And so they. Look, I think an hour is not extreme. I mean, the fact is they might have looked for him for more than an hour, you know, being satisfied they could find him. You know, what problem I do have? Ann.

Control. If you could go back to those pictures of the forest where the searchers are gathered. I don't understand looking at this picture, how.

Where he was, he was across from them on an island and. But they could see him. And I have also a problem with the time, not the hour that they searched for him. I get that, but I still am not buying into they. He was there and they turned their back, then he was gone. That's like three seconds. So what really happened? Were they playing hide and go seek and he was hiding and then he was gone? Just. I'm not. The timeline is concerning to me. Let me look at that. How can you say he was there? I turned my back, I turned around and he was gone. That part's not making sense to me. But let's. Let's hear from the mom. As a mother who is very concerned about her son, I'm pleading with my entire being if anyone knows or seen anything, tell the police anything from September 21st till now in the Crows Pass area that can help. Please keep sharing Darius's photo on social media, the update, so that his beautiful face is out there. We've just exhausted all search tactics. There's just nothing else for us to search at this time. But there is nothing to indicate foul play is involved. Okay, she's saying that's Corporal Gina Slaney. She's saying there is nothing to indicate foul play is involved. So then where is he? Guys, that's from our friends at Bridge City News and cbc. Brian, that seems inconsistent to me. Yeah, that is inconsistent. Right. Because if you knew that, if you could rule out that there was no foul play, we would either have found Darius or we would have found evidence of what may have transpired. Right. So it's impossible to rule out foul play here, in my opinion.

How? Yeah, how can he just right off the bat, rule out foul play? How did they get to that? Brian? Yeah, it seems it's kind of a whitewashing statement. There's no way to say that definitively. Right. So I would have to assume, or I'd like to assume, that there is an ongoing investigation here, given that Darius has not been found and no body has been recovered that the police are still interviewing and speaking with the, particularly the children that were supposedly on that walk with him.

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Crime Stories with Nancy Grace.

You know, I'm just trying to figure out again regarding this terrain. Crowsnest Pass.

Is it heavily camped? Are there a lot of campers, hikers Travelers there, Stephen? Yes, for sure. I mean, there are several campgrounds in the area. I mean, it is a popular spot to go camping in the Rockies there.

But yeah, I mean, there are lots of people enjoy going to that area during the summer and the fall.

And. Yeah, so it's. It's a. I mean, it's a picturesque spot, you know, to. To spend a weekend away, kind of. So, yeah, it's. It's pretty popular. Okay, Fitzgibbons, think this through with me for just one moment. We keep referring to this as a remote area, but the town itself itself has about 5,700 in population. But wait for this. According to the atlas, around 300,000 people visit or walking through Crow's Nest every year. Put up Fizzy Gibbons, please. So it's not like the family is out there all by themselves, right? You ever heard the name Israel Keys? Is that ringing a bell? He was one of the most prolific serial killers in the US Ever. And he went under the radar. But one place he liked to stalk his victims, national parks, RV camps, people that were camping in tents. He loved it and he spoke of it. And his words were matched up with actual victims that prior to his speaking, had been unsolved homicides. So this is like a stalker, a predator's happy hunting ground.

What do you think about that? 300,000 strangers a year? Hey, could be. And, you know, certainly for transients and, you know, serial killers.

Folks with nefarious intentions, these places that have very limited control, campgrounds and things like that are hunting grounds for them. So, you know, is there a possibility that Darius was separated from his group and was abducted? Certainly there's enough people there to make that possible. And it's isolated enough to make the search very difficult. So this is really the worst of a lot of potential scenarios here. The search for Darius includes volunteers and experts alike. Ground personnel were supported by helicopters, drones, dogs, horses, boat mounted sonar, swiftwater rescue and underwater search teams. It is a massive operation involving multiple agencies. The search and rescue teams covered 13 square miles over rough terrain and found no clothing, no footprints, no signs of Darius were found. Two volunteer teams of cadaver dogs also searched the area and detected no trace of Darius. No, no, this is really not fitting together. Now, to Dr. Trey Sargent. You don't have a shoe, clothing, a toy, nothing. And cadaver dogs search and don't find anything. What people don't realize, you know, our end goal with all these resources is to find Darius. But what is just as important is using all these resources to eliminate areas to Say, you know what, we don't know where Darius is, but we can say definitively he's not here. Which actually helps move the investigation forward and even answer some of those questions that many people have. Yeah, what about it, Fitzgibbons? Not only do they fail to find any trace of him, like a toy, he had a shoe, a sock, clothing, a shirt, they also don't get a hit from any of the cadaver dogs. So where is he? Either he's there hiding, alive.

Well, that's. Or he's being completely removed from the area. Or those cadaver dogs would have hit on him even in a bog. Yeah, you would think, Nancy. And remember, this is a six year old boy, okay? He's not going to cover that much terrain by foot. And you had police search and rescue groups. There were upwards of 400 individuals involved by the seventh day of this search. They were in line on a grid search, okay, Shoulder to shoulder. You know, you had helicopters, thermal imaging drones, people on horseback. You had swift teams, boat teams searching riverbeds and where the swift waters were. So there was a very extensive search that took place here. They've, they've narrowed down and said some of these areas he's definitely not in. No sign of him in there. Okay, so now you're thinking, was there animal activity? There is a high bear population here. What, what could happen there? Would we find something? I don't know. Cadaver dog though. You would still hit with that dog if that were the case. If a bear or creature had gotten him, we would still have a cadaver dog hit. You know, the only thing there is, you know, he could be taken miles and miles away outside of that grid. That, that would be the only.

The only piece there by a creature. Because a creature is not going to take a boy miles and miles away. A person would, but not a creature. A creature would stop to eat its victim at not miles and miles and miles away. It would go back to its lair and eat the victim. At worst. I believe from what I've learned in past cases that the creature, the imaginary creature, would eat the victim before it got to its lair. A human would absolutely take the child miles and miles away. So. Correct. Where are you going with that? No, I'm saying that, you know, it's conceivable that a bear could carry its victim quite some distance. So there's, there's that. And also, you know, what we brought up before, you know, if there was nefarious play here and there was a human moving him, you know, then that's quite, quite possible. Yeah. And if a human moved him, we would get a scent dog hit. You remember when Lacey Peterson was taken? Well, that was her. That was her body. But a cadaver dog followed her scent all the way from her home on Cozina in Modesto all the way to the San Francisco Bay Marina. Okay, so a regular scent dog would have picked up on him. But then there's another shock to the family. In another shock to the family of Darius. Kaya Warrior, the six year old playing with Darius at the time he went missing, has now passed away at Children's Hospital from a medical emergency. Investigators say her death was not criminal and not related to Darius disappearance. Kyle was the daughter of Dallas McDougal's girlfriend, Buffy. They were on the camping trip with Dallas and Darius and participated in the search. Ann Bremner, high profile Seattle defense lawyer. I've said a million times there is no coincidence in criminal law. But we're being told the girlfriend who was on the trip with her boyfriend, Darius's father, when Darius goes missing. Now her child.

Kaya, also six years old, playing with Darius at the time he goes missing. She's dead. What? No, you're right. There are no coincidences in criminal law. Anc. You're exactly right. And there's the old saying. Lightning doesn't strike twice. I mean, it's.

When I saw that, I thought if I were the prosecutor, I'd be paying a lot more attention to this case. The search is still on for six year old Darius. Where is he? There's no sign that he's dead. Hence we are left to believe Darius is alive somewhere. If you know or think you know anything about this child, think of your own children at this tender age. Please dial 403-562-2866. Repeat 403-562-2866. Now we remember an American hero. Firefighter Isabella Oscarson, Idaho Department Land. Just 26, killed in the line of duty. Leaving behind her grieving parents, Kelvin and Kathleen. American hero, firefighter Isabella Oscarson. Nancy Grace, signing off. Goodbye, friend.

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