A five-year-old girl was killed following a serious collision involving a stolen truck near Cold Lake late Tuesday night.
Cold Lake RCMP responded just after 10 p.m. on Jan. 13 to a two-vehicle crash on Highway 897 at the Beaver River Bridge.
Emergency responders treated the occupants of a minivan at the scene. Police confirmed a five-year-old girl was deceased. A 10-month-old boy, their 27-year-old mother and a 30-year-old man were taken to hospital with various injuries.
Police determined the second vehicle, a Ford F-350, had been reported stolen three days earlier in Lashburn, Sask.
Following the collision, RCMP say a suspect involved fled the scene and stole the vehicle of a good Samaritan who had stopped to offer assistance.
As details of the crash emerged, Alberta RCMP’s Real Time Operations Centre deployed significant resources to both investigate the fatal collision and locate the suspects.
Units involved included Alberta Traffic Services, the Criminal Collision Investigative Team, a collision analyst, Cold Lake RCMP General Investigative Section, Bonnyville and Elk Point detachments, Police Dog Services and Eastern Alberta District crime reduction units.
At approximately 11 p.m., officers located the stolen good Samaritan vehicle abandoned. Patrols continued throughout the area, including targeted patrols of residences associated with known prolific offenders.
At about 1 a.m. on Jan. 14, officers located another stolen vehicle parked in front of one of those residences. A shotgun was observed in plain view.
RCMP say the investigation has positively linked at least one individual at that property to the original collision scene. Additional stolen items were also recovered. Police noted a parallel investigation is underway, with charges being laid against occupants not connected to the fatal crash.
Thirty-four-year-old Ryan Mitchell Greer of Bonnyville has been charged with:
- Failure to stop at the scene of an accident causing death
- Failure to stop at the scene of an accident causing bodily harm (two counts)
- Possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000
- Theft of a motor vehicle
- Failure to comply with a probation order
- Unauthorized possession of a firearm
- Possession of a firearm contrary to order (four counts)
Greer was taken before a justice of the peace and remanded into custody. His next court appearance is scheduled for Jan. 15 at the Alberta Court of Justice in St. Paul.
RCMP confirmed Greer was on bail at the time of the incident for breaching a probation order.
“The initial efforts of our officers have not only led to the charges you see today but also produced a significant amount of evidence to support the investigation, including the death of a child,” said Superintendent Tony Hanson, assistant district officer with Eastern Alberta District.
“The coordinated response starting with our Real Time Operations Centre, utilizing our support units and detachments, was crucial in the immediate apprehension of this suspect,” Hanson said.
The investigation remains ongoing.
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