Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police
December 18, 2023, Charlottetown PE – The RCMP Major Crime and General Investigations Unit have taken over the Tyson MacDonald missing persons file. Based on information investigators have gathered this file is now being investigated as a Criminal Code Investigation. We are not defining the offence at this time but we can say that we are investigating this as a crime. Few details of this investigation are available at this time in order to protect the integrity of this investigation.
Over the last three days investigators have deployed RCMP Drones, Police Dog Services to search for Tyson MacDonald. Other RCMP Units assisting include the Forensic Identification Section, The RCMP Provincial General Investigation Section, Queens, Prince and Kings District RCMP, and the Division Criminal Analysis Section.
As RCMP are actively searching rural areas, a large police presence may be observed in Kings County. At this time, we do not require any tips on the unknown woman and the Honda Civic mentioned in a previous media release. We thank the public for their tips that were passed on to the RCMP.
Amber Alert
Some Islanders have wondered why an Amber Alert has not been issued in this case. The use of Amber Alerts is strictly confined to cases where police have clear information indicating that a child is in imminent danger. In this case based on known information at the time police did not have the needed criteria to issue an Amber Alert. A missing person is not an option in the alert ready system unless it is an Amber Alert.
Missing Persons Act
The Missing Persons Act does present a number of tools available to police in non-criminal missing persons cases. As this investigation has transitioned to a criminal investigation police will rely on Criminal Code police authorizations to access any information. Details of those actions cannot be shared at this time to preserve the integrity of the investigation.
“Our thoughts are with the family and friends of Tyson MacDonald as we work diligently to try and find answers for them.” – Sup. Kevin Lewis, Acting Commanding Officer of the PEI RCMP
Police continue to ask the public to share any information they have concerning Tyson MacDonald. The RCMP can be reached at 902-566-7112 or through Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).