Five Weeks of Silence, and a Canada-Wide Search for Three

There is a particular kind of absence that follows a parent and two children disappearing without a trace—not the silence of a quiet house, but the weight of unanswered questions that grows heavier with each passing day. Five weeks ago, Scot MacDermid was last seen at a shopping plaza in northeast Edmonton with his six-year-old son and nine-year-old daughter. Now, Canada-wide warrants have been issued for his arrest, and police are asking the public to help find three people who seem to have simply vanished .

The Edmonton Police Service announced Wednesday that 42-year-old Scot MacDermid is wanted on two counts of abduction in contravention of a custody order—one for his son George and one for his daughter Lesley . The charge is laid when a parent or guardian is alleged to have taken or hidden a child under 14 in violation of a court custody or parenting order .

The timeline is sparse and unsettling. MacDermid and his children were last seen at Manning Town Centre on August 28. Later that same day, investigators learned they were seen in Lloydminster, a city straddling the Alberta-Saskatchewan border, with an unknown man. That man has since been identified and spoken to by police, but the father and children's path of travel beyond Lloydminster remains unknown. Police believe they may have been seen in Saskatchewan or Manitoba .

The case first came to public attention on September 8, when Edmonton police issued a release seeking assistance in locating the three. Since then, investigators have assessed the available evidence and determined that the investigation does not meet the criteria for an Amber Alert. Staff Sgt. Robert Davis of the EPS Child Protection Section explained that an Amber Alert is "one tool available to police, but it is not the investigation itself," adding that "finding Lesley and George remains our top priority" .

MacDermid is described as five-foot-five, approximately 160 pounds, with brown hair and blue eyes. George is roughly four-foot-two, about 45 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. Lesley is described as four-foot-four, approximately 45 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes . Anyone with information is asked to call Edmonton police at 780-423-4567 .

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Sources: CBC News, Edmonton Police Service, Edmonton Sun, CityNews Edmonton, CTV News