An 11-year-old Calgary boy who disappeared two weeks ago has been found dead, police announced Wednesday.
Chief Katie McLellan said the boy named Parker was discovered in a small water pipe underneath Deerfoot Trail, the city’s major north-south expressway.
“For nearly two weeks, so many people woke up hoping it would be the day Parker came home,” McLellan told reporters.
“Instead, we are here sharing news that is heartbreaking for his family and for everyone who has been carrying that hope.”
Police have not released the boy’s last name.
They said it appears Parker, who had autism and was non-verbal, wandered into a deep culvert then into a labyrinth of pipes. Officers searched the area after receiving a tip that the boy’s shoe had been found nearby.
The discovery was made Wednesday afternoon, with the child located in a narrow concrete pipe on the east side of the expressway.
Parker disappeared after he walked away from his daycare home on July 16.
Soon after, a massive search galvanized the city, with hundreds of officers and volunteers scouring city blocks, homes, sheds, garages, boats and under patio decks.
They searched from the air, on mountain bikes and used police dogs and knocked on hundreds of doors.
They also used information from Parker’s family about his interests and behaviours to guide search efforts. For example, officers played some of Parker’s favourite Disney songs from patrol vehicles to try to draw him out.
The search was complicated by Parker’s neurological condition. Police cautioned that he could become more scared if confronted by strangers.
The day he disappeared, articles of clothing believed to belong to Parker were found near his day home. He was also captured on CCTV footage without a shirt and wearing black noise-cancelling headphones.
Early in the search, Parker’s family issued a statement describing him as a “loved son, brother and friend.”
“Our family is heartbroken by his disappearance. Since he went missing, our family has been living every parent’s worst nightmare,” the family statement said. “Every hour that passes without knowing where he is or whether he is safe has been incredibly difficult for us.”
The search elicited an outpouring of support but also exposed problems with public participation in the age of social media.
Police, wading through hundreds of tips, said they were slowed down by altered images and videos created with artificial intelligence claiming to show Parker or provide information about his whereabouts. One false report said the boy had been found dead and a fraudulent GoFundMe page was also created.
The search also raised questions about how to alert the public when vulnerable children disappear. Amber Alerts are currently broadcast for children abducted and in serious danger.
In Parker’s case, an Amber Alert was issued as a special exemption on the second day of the search.
A group of mothers have started petitions to urge officials to launch similar broad outreach emergency messages for categories that include neurodivergent children.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 29, 2026.
By Dayne Patterson and Bill Graveland | Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
