RCMP ask for help in search for Swift Current man
Police are still searching for a 26-year-old Swift Current man who has been missing since a truck he had access to ended up in that city’s creek in the middle of November.
Swift Current Municipal RCMP say Colton Koop is not subject to any criminal investigation or charges at this time and the matter is still being treated as a missing person investigation “as the RCMP attempt to locate Colton for his family.”
A red 2014 Dodge truck was found partially submerged in the Swift Current Creek in the early hours of Nov. 16 — and the driver seemingly nowhere to be found. Police believe the truck was southbound on 6th Avenue NE when it left the roadway, crashed through the east guard rail and ended up in the icy creek. RCMP spoke to the registered owner, confirming that person was not driving the vehicle at the time of the incident. The owner confirmed Koop would have had access to the truck prior to the incident.
Police are now asking area residents to search for their yards and outbuildings for anything that may be unusual or out of place.
Members of the RCMP Underwater Recovery Team planned to return to the scene of the accident Friday morning, conducting an “ice dive underwater in an attempt to search for any further evidence that may have moved downstream.”
Police now believe the accident may have occurred as early as 2 a.m. but was not reported to police until 6 a.m. However, the exact time of the accident is unknown. The RCMP used a police dog to search the areas around the creek. No one was located.
The truck was removed from the creek the next day with assistance from the RCMP Underwater Recovery Team, and the water was searched without anyone being located.
“We’re just taking it day-by-day, waiting,” a family spokesperson, who asked not to be identified, said a week after Koop’s disappearance.
“There are so many different rumours going around, everybody jumps to conclusions.”
The RCMP has received numerous tips stating Koop was avoiding police. However, officers have followed up on the tips with Koop’s friends and associates, none of whom say they have had any contact with Koop or know of his whereabouts.
Police say there have been no confirmed sighting or information on his well-being.