True Crime Collection

Lyle and Marie McCann

Lyle Thomas McCann was born August 24th, 1931, near Red Deer, Alberta. Marie McCann was born October 15th, 1932, in Torrington, Alberta. They were married July 30th, 1952, in Torrington, and have resided in St. Albert since 1964. Lyle was a long haul truck driver for many years, travelling throughout North America. They had 3 children. Lyle and Marie were 78 and 77 years old, at the time of their disappearance. 

On 3rd July, 2010, Lyle and Marie left St. Albert for Chilliwack for a vacation and were to pick up their daughter on 10th July at the Abbotsford International Airport. That same day they were seen at a Superstore gas station fueling up their 1999 Gulfstream Coach motorhome in St. Albert, with their green Hyundai Tucson in tow. They are then believed to have travelled to the Yellowhead Highway. 

In the evening of 5th July, firefighters responded to a motorhome on fire at the Minnow Lake campground near Edson, Alberta. No bodies were found, but police discovered the motorhome belonged to Lyle and Marie, though the Hyundai Tucson was missing. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police visited their home, but received no answer. 

When Lyle and Marie did not arrive in at Abbotsford International Airport on 10th July, their daughter, Trudy, notified the RCMP, who released a missing persons notification. The RCMP realised the connection between the burned out motorhome and the disappearance and launched aerial and ground searches. On 16th July, the RCMP found Lyle and Marie's SUV near Highway 16 and Range Road 144, about 30 kilometres east of Edson. They soon announced that the disappearance of the couple appeared to be foul play. At the same time, the RCMP revealed a person of interest, 38 year old Travis Edward Vader of no fixed address. Travis had multiple outstanding warrants at the time and a criminal history, including vehicular theft in 1995; possession of break in tools, driving a motor vehicle with unauthorised, operating an irregular motor vehicle and trailer, and weapons charges in August 2009; stealing and burning a truck in December 2009; and careless use of a firearm and unauthorised possession of a firearm in June 2010. 

On 19th July, 2010, Travis was arrested near Niton Junction, Alberta, on outstanding warrants unrelated to the disappearance of Lyle and Marie. On 27th July, Travis' sister, Bobbi-Jo, revealed to the media that her brother stayed with her family in Edmonton on 4th July, a day after the couple were last seen, and that he appeared "tired...sick and he needed to rest."

Travis, while still being held in custody, was officially announced a suspect in the disappearance of Lyle and Marie on 31st August, 2010. On 10th September, the RCMP announced they were searching a property south of Nojack, Alberta, as part of the investigation. On 14th September, the RCMP revealed they had ended their search of the property, where they searched a pond, septic tank, and combed through piles of debris. The property belonged to an acquaintance of Travis, and a dive team was used to search the pond and septic tank. 

Travis, still in custody, was denied bail on 18th March, 2011; the RCMP believed he still had information about Lyle and Marie or had some involvement with them, though he did not face any charges related to the investigation. A few months later, on 27th June, 2011, the RCMP searched a property near Lodgepole, Alberta, southwest of Edmonton, in relation to the investigation.

On 27th July, 2011, a court issued an order declaring Lyle and Marie to be deceased; the RCMP now believed Lyle and Marie to have been killed the day they disappeared. Travis was denied bail yet again on 15th February, 2012. 

On 23rd April, 2012, Travis was officially charged with two counts of first degree murder in the deaths of Lyle and Marie McCann, though the whereabouts of their bodies is still unknown. These charges were stayed by the Crown on 13th March 2014. On 12th October, 2012, Travis was convicted of offences that included drug trafficking, theft, and weapons charges, though a new trial was ordered due to previously undisclosed evidence. On 13th February, 2014, Travis launched a lawsuit against the RCMP, accusing them of keeping him in custody until he could be charged with the deaths of Lyle and Marie. 

On 8th October, 2014, Travis was found not guilty of nine charges unrelated to the disappearance of Lyle and Marie, and released from custody shortly afterwards. Upon his release, Travis told the media that the RCMP had "probably destroyed my life... they put me in jail for four years to investigate me when there was nothing there to begin with' and that he knew nothing about McCanns and that his "heart goes out to them."

On 19th December, 2014, Travis was arrested in St. Albert yet again in relation to the deaths of Lyle and Marie. The whereabouts of Lyle and Marie's bodies still remains unknown. 

On 15th September, 2016, Travis Vader was found not guilty of first degree murder. He was however, found guilty of second degree murder with an eligibility of parole within 10-25 years. The verdict attracted immediate criticism from legal experts, who claimed that it relied on a law he had been previously ruled unconstitutional. On 31st October, 2016, Justice Thomas reversed the original conviction and Travis was convicted of manslaughter. 

On 25th January, 2017, Travis was sentenced to a single term of life in prison, with the eligibility of parole in 7 years.