Canada’s Missing Children

May 25 is National Missing Children’s Day. Two hundred and thirty children, from infants to age 17, dating back to 1953, are featured on Canada’s Missing website – The National Centre for Missing Persons and Unidentified Remains (NCMPUR) administered by the RCMP. While these are not Canada’s only missing children, the ones on the site come from every province and territory and their disappearances include everything from suspected drownings, to runaways, parental abductions, and most rare of all, abduction by stranger.

Cold Case BC:

The hardest part for me when I was writing Cold Case BC, was researching the cases of missing children and knowing that for everyone I wrote about, there are many more still missing. How many of these children are missing because of abduction, human trafficking, or, as the police like to say, “foul play?” I wish I could tell you. Unfortunately, the definition of a missing person—anyone whose whereabouts are unknown—is so broad that it renders annual statistics published by NCMPUR almost meaningless.

According to NCMPUR, 34,189 children were reported missing across Canada in 2025. Reasons for these disappearances are categorized into eleven categories. These include runaways (which account for 70% of all missing children), accidents, human trafficking and unknown. A total of 13 children—eight female and five male, were categorized as stranger abduction. One in five missing children were Indigenous.

More than half of all missing children were found within 24 hours, 91% were found within a week.

How many are still missing? We don’t know.

As well as a lack of context for these huge numbers, there is inconsistency in reporting. We don’t know from these numbers how long a child has been missing or whether they are a teen late home for dinner, a body that hasn’t been recovered from a boating accident, or a toddler snatched off the front porch of their home ten years ago.

Cold Case Canada:

In December 2025 I changed the name of my Facebook page from Cold Case BC to Cold Case Canada (the name of my podcast). It was always my intention to go outside BC, but quite honestly there have been so many cases to cover in my home province that it’s taken a bit of time to branch out.

I’m often contacted by the families, friends and law enforcement who are trying to create awareness for a missing child. Sometimes these children have been missing for decades, and while the chance of getting answers is slim, it’s a small way to honour and remember the child and the impact that their loss has had on their family, friends and community. In a best-case scenario, I hope that the posts will prompt new information that could help police provide the families with some answers.

If you have or know of a missing child that you would like me to write about, please send a photo and a brief write up as well as your connection to the person to eve@evelazarus.com.

Alberta:

Shelley-Anne Bacsu, 16, Hinton; Chantelle Bushie, 16, Grande Prairie; James Candy, 17, Vegreville; Jeffrey Dupres, 3, Slave Lake; Dale Eldridge, 16, Peace River; Lillian Giroux, 3; Edmonton; Terrence Henderson, 17, Lac St. Anne; Lori Lee Kasprick, 14, Mundare; Tania Murrell, 6, Edmonton; Charlie Nguyen, 16, Edmonton; Jennifer Regan, 16, Calgary; Patricia Salamandyk, 16, Spruce Grove; Stella St. Arnault, 15, Little Red River Cree Nation

British Columbia:

Jesokah Adkens, 17, Sooke; Angela Arseneault, 17 Burnaby; Unice Bird, 16, Prince Rupert; Verna Bjerky, 16, Hope; Casey Bohun, 3, Delta; Brenda Byman, 11, Wilmer; Lucas Degerness, 14, Prince George; Michael Dunahee, 4, Victoria; Chonticha Ellefson-Toassami, 1, Comox; Colten Fleury, 16, Prince George; Brent Forsyth, 11, Hazelton; Helen Frost, 17, Prince George; Pablo Guerra, 17, Vancouver; Michael Hammond, 16, Richmond; Russell Jack, 9, Prince George; Ryan Jack, 4, Prince George; Lorie Lynn Lewis, 7, Squamish; Tom Marsden, 17, Summit Lake; Edna Masters, 2, Red Lake; Cindy Lou McLane, 2, Willow Lake, Lindsey Nicholls, 14, Royston; Delphine Nikal, 15, Smithers; Andrew Pasztor, 17, Richmond; Joanne Pedersen, 11, Chilliwack; Desmond Peter, 14, Duncan; Denny Poole, 14, Dawson Creek; Philip Porter, 16, Kimberley; Matthew Richard, 16, Sicamous; Stacey Rogers, 17, Taylor; Terri Lynn Scalf, 7, Aldergrove; Michael Smith, 17, North Vancouver; Brittany Stalman, 16, Delta; Krzysztof Syrzycki, 16, Coquitlam

Manitoba:

Amanda Bartlett, 17, Winnipeg; Deanne Bousquet, 8, The Pas; Kelsey Brew, 11, Hudson Bay; Glenn Colombe, 16, Mission Point; Albert Crow, 17, Harrop Lake; Hank Ethier, 16, Thompson; William Garson, 13, Moose Lake; Ronnie Harper, 16, Red Sucker Lake; Leon Kitchekesik, 7, Gull Lake; Sylvia Klayh, 14, Brereton Lake; Marcus McKay, 8, Mallard; Kimberley McLean, 9, Whiteshell Lake; Tammy Nattaway, 16, Garden Hill; Shane Olecka, 16, Molson; Betsy Owens, 15, Pauingassi; Bernice Redhead, baby, Shamattawa; Debra Richardson, 17, Gim; Wayne Robinson, 14, God’s Lake; Waylon Smith, 17, Lake St. Martin; Francine Thomas, 1, Shamatawa; Sunshine Wood, 16, Winnipeg; Annie Yassie 13, Churchhill

New Brunswick:

Kimberley Ann Amero, 16, St. John; Madison Roy-Boudreau, 14, Bathurst, Donna Chambers, 17, Carlingford; Martin Corbet, 17, Bartibog Station; Andre Gauthier, 17, St. John; Jean Luc Ringuette, 16, Madawaska

Newfoundland:

Sharon Drover, 17, St. Johns; George Myrick, 17, St. Shotts; Adam, 14, Trevor, 11 and Mitchell O’Brien, 5, Mount Pearl; Stella Rich, 5

Nova Scotia:

Dylan Ehler, 3, Truro; Jack, 5 and Lilly Sullivan, 6 Pictou

Nunavut:

Sheena Airut, baby, Hall Beach; Rico Akpaleapik, 15, Pond Inlet; Theophile Oolalak, 3, Marie Oolalak, 4; Tanya Oolalak, 9, Hall Beach; Diane Papik, 9

NWT:

Charlene Catholique, 15; Herbert Lafferty, 12

Ontario:

Nina Akbarian, 3, North York; Yaseen Shady Award, baby, Toronto; Jason Bathily, 2, Toronto; Ingrid Bauer, 14, Kleinburg; Terry Baxter, 15, Niagara Falls; Helen Booth, 17, Toronto; Lonnie Boudreau, 10, Ottawa; Jason Boulton, 15, Port Dalhousie; Jay Boyle, 17, Pickering; Robert James Brown, 12, Wilfrid; Barry Bucharest, 11, Kenora; Tina Fang Chen, 15, Mississauga; James Henry Clark, 16, Kemptville; Gregory Cook, 17, Nottawasaga Bay; Ethel Crespo, 17, Toronto; Tatianna Cuevas, 5, Mississauga; Richard Culford, 3, Toronto; Michael Cummins, 17, Pickering; Teresa Desa, 16, Toronto; John Edwards, 17, Toronto; Isaac Floresquintana, 7 Toronto; Sara Floresquintana, 8 Toronto: Melanie Ethier, 16, New Liseard; Rebecca Fudge-Schnarr, 17, Iroquois Falls; Noreen Greenley, 13, Bowmanville; Andrew Grinnell, 16, James Bay; Sol Han, 14, Toronto; Il Hyan Han, 7, Toronto; Cheryl Hanson, 8, Aurora; Robert Heintz; Yoo Mi Heo, 16, Toronto; Daniel Higgins, 17, Pickering; Yee Wah Eva Ho, 17, Toronto; Yves Jodouin, 17, Ottawa; Shawn Steven Jones, 14, Owen Sound, Leslie Dwayne Jones, 15, Owen Sound; Helga Kaserer, 13, Toronto; Joshua Kennett, 14, Grayson Lake; Martin Kenny, 15, Perry; Robert Kovacs, 1, Toronto, Debra Kumar, 16, Toronto; Lloyd Larsfolk, 15, Caledon; Jamie Lefebvre, 17, Pickering; Guang Wei Li, 17, Torono; Nancy Liou, 16, Toronto; Marie Lyons, 17, Toronto; Sofi Ma, 3, Toronto; Sean Macintyre, 13, Thessalon; Tihomir Maletic, 17, Kitchener; Cameron March, 4, Kilbride; Richard Marlow, 9, Toronto; John McCormick, 15, Caledon; Marion McDowell, 17, Toronto; Adrien McNaughton, 7, Greater Madawaska; Heather Moggy, 17, Brantford; Nicole Morin, 8, Toronto; Jennifer Morse, 17 Toronto; Emmanuel Mukwaya, 4, Toronto; Mistie Murray, 16, Goderich; Kian Norouzian, 11, Toronto; Tom Ombash, 14, Charlie Ombash, 12, Sioux; Berenice, 8, and Berengere Pare, 10, Ottawa; Leo Payash, 8, Red Lake; Jimmy Pereira, 10, Chippawa; Meagan Pilon, 16, Sudbury; Justin Pollari, 14, Hilton Beach; Amber Potts, 16, Toronto; Diane Prevost, 2, Britt; Norman Ritchie, 16, Tobermory; Veta Rostas, 14, Brampton; Robert Rumbolt, 17, Pickering, Justin Rutter, 13, Ottawa; Marianne Schuett, 11, Burlington; Rita Squalli, 11, Maria Squalli, 6, Toronto; Jannisina Stonehouse, 17, Oakville; Lina Tedros, 15, Toronto; David Templar, 6, Toronto; Talib Trujillo, 6, Toronto; Darlene Tucker, 17, Oakville; Carol Turner, Toronto; Robert Vanderheyden, 8, Port Stanley; Simon Wilson, 10, Toronto; Katherine Wilson, 12, Kirkland Lake, Jadon Yanez-Parada, baby, Guelph

Quebec:

Francis Albert Cloutier, 17, Saint Marc sur Richelieu; Shannon Alexander, 17, Maniwaki; David Ambroise, 4, Wemotaci; Rene Bessette, 8, Montreal; Diane Carrier, 6, Quebec City; Jacques Chaput, 17, Trois-Rivieres; Felix Claveau, 15, Laval; Yohanna Cyr, baby Montreal; Mathieu Duguay, 17, Montreal; David Fortin, 15, Alma; Yanck Fortin, 6, Matawin; Myriam Kniaz, 16, Ste. Foy; Ariel Kouakou, 10, Montreal; Merlin Labrie, 16, Levis; Zineb Lahrim, 3, Rayan Lahrim, 2, Montreal; Renee Larose, 17, Montreal; Singh Lebahna, 15, Montreal; Lorraine Legault, 3, Montreal; Xiu Zi Lin, 17, Montreal; Xiao Feng Lu, 1, Longueuil; Melina Martin, 13, Quebec; Sebastien Metivier, 9, Montreal; Maisy Odjick, 17, Maniwaki; Michel Pelletier, 5, Trois-Rivieres; Clifford Sherwood Thorne, 9, Montreal; Julie Surprenant, 16, Terrebonne; Matthew Wiinikainen, 17, Gaspe

Saskatchewan:

Mekayla Bali, 16, Yorkton; Tayven Bear, 5, Sandy Bay; Kevin Charles, 17, Chitek Lake; Barry Fiddler, 15, Thunderchild; Kenneth Kay, 16, Quinton; Tamra Keepness, 5, Regina; Donald Lariviere, 3, Pinehouse; Norman Louison, 15, Kahkewistahaw; Peter McKay, 5, Saskatoon; Michael Milavanov, 17, Kingsmere Lake; Jonathan Molina, 3, Moose Mountain; Myrna Montgrand, 15, La Loche; Katelyn Noble, 16, Saskatoon; Irene Scherban, 16, Hudson Bay; and Courtney Struble, 14, Estevan