A B.C. man who reported seeing the SUV belonging to a missing Alberta couple says he's certain it's the right car, and wants to know why it took police so long to follow up on his tip.
Everett Bjorklund told CTV News that he reported seeing Lyle and Marie McCann's SUV to Prince George RCMP on Tuesday.
He said he and his daughter saw the vehicle on July 8.
"I'm sure it was the right car. On Monday night, I saw on the news they were looking for the car -- I'm sure it was the same car," Bjorklund said.
"It was driving along slowly, about 50 kilometres (per hour). It looked really strange."
He said that he didn't write down the licence plate number, but did take mental note.
"I'm sure it was the right number."
RCMP investigators interviewed Bjorklund and his daughter for further information about the sighting Thursday afternoon. They say they've had three separate reports of the vehicle in the area, and have now launched a full-scale search effort although they have not definitively confirmed the sightings.
But Bjorklund wants to know why his tip wasn't taken more seriously when he first reported the sighting.
"They laughed, and it didn't sound like they were interested," he said. "They didn't take our names or phone numbers -- nothing. My daughter didn't even want to go back there -- she was just kind of pissed off at these guys."
The McCanns of St. Albert, just outside Edmonton, were reported missing by their family on July 10, two days after they were due to meet their daughter in Abbotsford, B.C., for a week-long camping trip. The couple was scheduled to make various stops along the Yellowhead Highway en route.
Mounties say a Gulf Stream RV belonging to the couple, who are both in their late 70s, was found burned to the ground on a dead-end road near the Minnow Lake campground near Edson, Alta., a week ago.
The vehicle the McCanns were towing, a Hyundai Tucson with Alberta licence plate ZPK 289, had not been seen until Prince George RCMP received a tip on Tuesday.
