Sunday, July 6, 2014

Police Question Person of Interest in Nathan O'Brien Case

This may be a break in the case...from CBC

Police say they are questioning a "person of interest" in connection with a massive search underway at a rural Airdrie, Alta., property that they have linked to the disappearance of a five-year-old Calgary boy and his grandparents.
RCMP and Calgary police have been conducting a massive search of a rural property northeast of Calgary since Friday night, in search of clues to the disappearance of Nathan O'Brien, and Kathy and Alvin Liknes, who were reported missing Monday.

RCMP tactical teams and the Calgary Police Service only confirm at 5:40 p.m. MT Saturday that combing the property is linked to the search for the three family members.
Police Nathan car
This Ford truck has been linked to the disappearance of a five-year-old Calgary boy and his grandparents. Police have been searching a massive property in Airdrie, Alta., in connection with the disappearance of Nathan O'Brien and Kathryn and Alvin Liknes. (Calgary Police Service)
At a news conference at 6:30 p.m., they said a man from that residence has been taken in for questioning and is co-operating "to a degree." 
They have also taken a vehicle from the property that is similar in description to the one captured on CCTV images released Friday.
The Amber Alert for Nathan remains in effect as neither he nor the Liknes's have been found, and police expected to remain at the property for the next 24 to 36 hours.

Earlier Parkhill ground search over

Earlier Saturday, a new ground search took place around the Liknes's Parkhill home, but that ended without explanation.
The search area included a 400-metre perimeter around the Liknes's home. About 50 search team members examined homes, vehicles and buildings, and interviewed anyone they could find.
Nathan, along with his grandparents, were discovered missing Monday at 10 a.m. when Nathan's mother arrived to pick him up from a sleepover at their house.
The couple had held an estate sale on Friday, Saturday and Sunday in preparation for a move to Edmonton and the O'Brien family had been over helping out until they left at 10 p.m. Sunday, leaving Nathan to spend the night.
On Friday, police said in a news conference there is no indication of forced entry to the home but blood was found inside the home and policesay a violent incident took place there.
Forensics teams have not yet determined whether the blood belonged to one person or several, but police said whoever it belonged to would have been in medical distress.
As well, police have not confirmed whether marks examined by the forensic team on the outside of the Liknes's house were blood.
"I can tell you, though, that the forensic crime scenes unit did examine some marks on the side of the house and we're in the process of determining their relevance to the investigation," said Andrus. "There were marks on the side of the house that went for a distance along the side."

Still no suspect, motive

Over 200 tips have been received by police so far and investigators say they do have a number of theories as to what happened.
However, none of those are being shared with the public at this point.
"It's still a missing persons investigation," said Staff Sgt. Doug Andrus with the Calgary Police Service's Homicide Unit. "We're hopeful we'll find these individuals and family members alive."

There is still no motive in the case and police say they have no suspects they can name but identified someone they want to speak with.
A green Ford F-150 truck was spotted several times in the area on the evening the violent incident is believed to have occurred and police say they believe the driver of the truck may have information that could help them.
Kathryn Liknes, from left, Nathan O'Brien and Alvin Liknes
Kathryn Liknes, from left, Nathan O'Brien and Alvin Liknes are missing, say police. (Calgary Police Service)

29 comments:

Anonymous said...

Off topic. I just warched tons of ckips and documentaries on 9/11. Started out as a way to honor 4th of July and then got curious about the "inside job" theory. Id never thought it was an anside job id thought gov used it to justify a war meant to sucure oil but didnt think they intentionally allowed or much less orchestrated the attacks. i just watched all this stuff that changed my mind. and statement analysis was a huge part of it. condoleeza rice saying "these peoole" when speaking at podium about who did attack. is one example. dick cheney unnessesarily mentioning that sadam used weapons on mass destruction on his own people when asked about the mystety of the flight 97 and how plane itself was not found. It is cheney who used weapons of mass destruction on his own people that day. also man who owned twin towers and building 7 the buikding that went down without having been hit by a plane later that day - in an interview silvermam said they "pulled" it. that means intentional demolition. it fell same was twin towers fell. from weakened base not from upper impact - notfrom the planes but meant to look like the planes knocked them down completely. silverman owned all three buildings and got a 7 billion insurance pay out. marvin bush georges brother was in chargeof security for buildings and his contrct ran out day before sept. 11. ASBESTON WAS USEDin bottow half of twin towers and by law silverman had to spend more than cost of building towers to go in and remove it. it is classic circumstances on insurance scam. .... movie i watched that got me started is called Loose Change. all over internet for free. watch with as critical eye as you want! Id really be curious what other sa ers think after watching.

Nic said...

"We're hopeful we'll find these individuals and family members alive."

these individuals *and* family members? So are there other cold-cases pending? Interesting distinction. Amber alerts are just for missing kids, right? Maybe that is the distinction? Amber and adult?

From another article: http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2014/07/05/nathan-obrien-missing_n_5560548.html

The Amber Alert issued on Monday remains in effect and Matthews said it's impossible to say at this point whether the boy and his grandparents are still alive.

"We don't know that. Really we're trying desperately to find out," he said.

"This is just an investigative step. It's not that we're certain this is the fellow. We're just following up a tip. Have we found the family? No we haven't and that's why the Amber Alert is still out."


*just (alternative)
*it's not that we're certain this is the fellow - what is in the negative is sensitive, also the officer uses gender specific
*desperate - time is of the essence and they are still hopeful Nathan is alive. Although seeing LE in hazmat suits around the out buildings on the Airdrie property means that they strongly suspect at least one fatality.

Prayers for Nathan and his grandparents and family. God speed to LE.

Nic said...

This is just an investigative step

I beg to differ.

*just implies that there is another side to "this step".

*Nobody* knew LE was raiding the Airdrie property until Saturday at dinnertime. They had been there since Friday early evening. That's pretty incredible considering how high-priority this case is. And from what I can see, he hasn't been released yet.

Anonymous said...

He has been released.

Nic said...

*these individuals.

Here's a reach. Decades ago when I worked for a Cdn government organization responsible for veterans' pensions (now part of Dep't of Veterans Affairs) I worked in a unit that sent out 'life certificates' every year to confirm that the recipient was still alive. Essentially what I did was compare signatures from previous life certificates on record to ensure that there wasn't any fraud. (Recipient hadn't been reported as decease and someone else in the family was cashing the cheques.)

There was a surprising level of fraud. I wonder if the Canadian Pension Commission does the same thing? Maybe the technology has the left hand (Revenue Canada/tax return) talking to the right hand, now?

What about the parents who are suppose to be living there? Are they missing but it hasn't been reported? Maybe the reason for hazmat suits and from what I'm seeing, now, cadaver dogs?

This is pure speculation based on behavior I saw more times than I care to share.

Anonymous said...

Nic -- thats very interesting idea. what I've been curious about since this story broke is how nearly all language from parents is about findng boy and finding grandparents is like a small afterthought. this makes some sense since the boy is naturally the first priority -- but I sond understand why the grandparents aren't a much closer second, you'd think they's all constantly be grouped together in the language. they are all missing and they all need tobe found with equal priority at least because finding any othem would likely help in finding the rest of them.

maybe grandparents were not truly "missing" and that explains it.

Anonymous said...

Calgary Herald live search site reporting at 1:58 pm MST: Police tape has just gone up on road about one km from Airdrie acreage.

Anonymous said...

I think they are going to catch the guy and I can't wait to see what it looks like!

Anonymous said...

Yesterday's TV coverage showed police officers checking people's car trunks, with a resident of the area saying they looked in closets and basements -- anywhere a child might hide. Do they have some reason to believe that Nathan is not with his grandparents?

Also, CTV news reported the name of the person of interest on late news last night. No one is mentioning that name today, but last night's name has been in the news before, though not in connection with something this serious.

Today the CBC Radio news reported that the search in Parkhill yesterday started at the time of day when the Likneses and Nathan went missing. That would mean, if correct, that they went missing in the morning, shortly before Jennifer O'Brien arrived at her parents' home.

Anonymous said...

Doubtful they know what time they went missing. Just hoping the "real Killer" will correct them and give them the time of day they went missing. Typically the media wants to make the most of it and hope others will think they are as smart as the police...and, they usually are.

Even their photos seem tight lipped. My guess is someone has scripted the grandmother to be the villian, links to Russian mafia or some other enterprise too big to catch, or is a love triangle. It has to be something worthy of an explanation of why they aren't worthy of law enforcement protection and some reason to explain how they just poofed into thin air.

Moving to Edmonton, then to Mexico? Maybe they are wanting to transport illegals into canada like they do the US. Trade drugs for lives. Lives for books. Books and advertisment for moneies. Conspiracies for federal funds.

wreyeter72 said...

I've been wondering since the news broke about this missing boy if the concern isn't that the grandparents themselves have abducted the boy. Maybe I haven't read enough, but isn't that possible, and wouldn't it explain why the parents aren't mentioning them much?

Nic said...

As per Anonymous' comment above

Have we found the family? No we haven't and that's why the Amber Alert is still out."

Family = Nathan

Going back to the parents' press conference Jennifer O'Brien said she knew that her mom was holding Nathan tightly (to protect him). It could be what she envisioned happening at the time of house invasion. And that LE said that at least one person was in medical distress. The family is pointed that Nathan was "not suppose to be there".
(Innocent)

LE is desperate to find "the family" and maintain the Amber Alert.

The thing about Canadian law and investigation is that if there are minors involved, not too much is shared with media. So so much is left to interpretation and speculation.

Nic said...

Forensics would say how many "profiles" were exhibited. I'm not holding my breath they will be sharing that information, either.

Nic said...

Update from CBC... LE are not letting this guy go unless absolutely forced to.

[snip]CBC News learned Garland was released from questioning specifically in regards to the Nathan O'Brien disappearance, but remained in police custody in relation to the new charge of identity theft laid against him this weekend.
On Monday, Garland will make a court appearance related to his new charge of identity theft.

Garland has not been named as a suspect in the disappearances.

CBC News has also learned that Garland has a connection to the Liknes family through his sister.

His sister lists Nathan O'Brien's parents, Rod and Jennifer, as well as Kathy Liknes as 'friends' on Facebook.

She also lists one member of the Liknes family as a niece.


[...]

Earlier Sunday, police blocked off a new search area at a rural property northeast of Calgary and brought in the canine unit to help with the investigation into the disappearances of three Calgary family members.

Around 2:45 p.m. MT, investigators blocked off a new site north of the rural Airdrie property where they have been searching for clues since Friday night. The field has a large body of water and a police helicopter has been seen hovering over the water over the course of the afternoon.

Several officers and a dog are currently in the field. [...]

[end snip]

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/nathan-o-brien-amber-alert-person-of-interest-has-criminal-past-new-charge-1.2698107

Anonymous said...

It makes sense to me that they "left" the house on Sunday night. Did the mother see if the beds had been slept in? I'm sure the police would have done their due diligence and noticed such a thing, I hope. That would give a more precise timeline. It would also make sense that if they were taken against their will that that would have happened under the cover of night.

I can't see an abductor making sure that they were fed if any of them remained alive past that point. Since the possible suspect has been under the watchful eye of the police for quite a few days now, and there has been no sign of the missing family, there doesn't seem to be any possibility that they would be alive, unless it was someone else or a grand-parental abduction--but why then the blood?

I believe they were killed Sunday night.

It seems like a robbery at the hands of someone with less than a properly functioning brain. An estate sale would hold the promise of a larger stash of cash than say, a garage sale.

It also seems that this one is close to home and not so disconnected or random, if it is this POI.

Anonymous said...

@Anonymous 4:32 PM: Meth labs are highly toxic. Mercury is a neurotoxin. No matter what level of intelligence a person starts out with, years of exposure to toxins would take their toll. This may be applicable to the person of interest.

Anonymous said...

I also agree that cover of darkness would be the most likely scenario. For whatever reason, the media stated that the morning search of Parkhill started around the time of day when the Likneses and Nathan went missing. Maybe the media meant the time when the family was discovered as missing, or maybe the police needed someone to think they believed the family went missing during the daylight hours. The truck was shown in daylight, but could have visited the scene during the night, too.

I wonder if the parents of the POI are cooperating with police, or if anyone knows where they are. They lived in the house with the POI. Have friends and family heard from them recently? It is my understanding from an interview with one of the neighbors on TV that they had expressed concern about their son in the past.

Anonymous said...

think they got the guy! Very intelligent they claim; also ran illegal drug lab. Scary combination. Finding the forensics may get rough. The cameras placed him near the scene. It's going to be something outrageous. If he once used the identiy of a deceased boy, there's much more he's done but never caught at.

Finding the child should be a priority. I would think the child is alive even if the grandparents are not.

In court again for indentity theft. Even scarier! Bet he has a lab somewhere. What did he want at the estate sale? Or, what did he want that was in the area he was circling? Searching for vacant homes in which to run a lab? Materials?

Obviously the family was not involved in his spree else he would not have been hoovering around like he was. Cash grab doesn't sound like the motive for this guy unless he's robbed for cash before. Bet his plans didn't include the little boy.

Perhaps they should look at someone else's property. Someone with a history of murder or abduction since he enjoys other people's names.

Anonymous said...

The POI made mistakes in the past that led to his arrest. If he is responsible for this, it's likely he made a mistake somewhere along the line that will trip him up. He was intelligent, sure, but the media revealed that he also had ADD and mental breakdowns, and he's been exposed to chemicals for many years. I think that mistake could be as stupid as leaving a receipt in his pocket that reveals where he went, or what he bought, like gas for the truck, in some small town. Maybe his pseudonym has a credit card, or maybe he used a loyalty card somewhere.

Anonymous said...

At the latest press conference the police spokesman said that while the person currently in custody for an unrelated charge is the only POI in the missing persons' case at this time, that is not the only investigative avenue they're following.

The police confirmed the common law relationship between a son of the missing man and the POI's sister.

An interesting detail from the conference: When asked by a reporter how the family was coping, the police rep said that they were devastated by their "loss", but also said that the case was still being treated as a missing persons' case and the Amber Alert remains in effect.

Anonymous said...

I hope someone comes forward to provide details of where Douglas Garland went on the night the Likneses and Nathan O'Brien disappeared, even if it's a highway cam showing the vehicle, or footage from a security cam on the side roads heading out of the city.

Whoever is responsible will have made a mistake that will result in charges. Even the smartest criminals do stupid things.

Anonymous said...

One thing that continues to bother about this is what I recall reading from the earlier media coverage about the POI, back when he was arrested after being "on the lam". IIRC, he wasn't "on the lam" so much as hiding in plain site under the noses of the RCMP on the west coast. I do wish the full media stories from that time would be re-published, in order to verify, clarify or refute this. If memory serves me well, the POI's methods would be well-known to RCMP there, as he was working with them in a consultant or training role. The problem now is that he would also be familiar with their techniques, if this memory is correct. It has been many years, but the story was pretty sensational at the time. Does anyone else remember this?

Anonymous said...

I hope I am wrong about the POI's past. I hate to think that this could turn into a real-life, upside-down version of the TV show "Elementary", where a former police consultant uses his inside knowledge of police work to his advantage.

Charges of identity theft and fraud, even if found guilty, won't keep a person off the streets forever.

Anonymous said...

Nathan O'Brien Mother's conduct is curious.Noticeable is Jennifer's posture which seems very confident and strong compared to every other member of the family. Jennifer's language has been questionable at best with her use of past tense expressions. Her attire seems to be to thought out and high level(What mother in time of such crisis puts that amount of time into looking good for their son's disappearance media conference) Watch her confidence gain strength day after day. Jennifer was the last person to see everyone alive. The majority of family perpetrated homicides against children under 18 years of age are committed by parents. Over the past three decades (1977 to 2006), 90% of family-related homicide victims under the age of 18 were killed by a parent (includes step and adopted parents but excludes other "social" parents such as foster parents)I believe Jennifer O'Brien should be questioned for the disappearance of her parents and son.

Anonymous said...

Anon, I noticed Jennifer's put-together outfits too. Tori
Stafford's mom also got some heat in forums for her appearance. Not sure, but that might not be relevant in the end. Family members are usually high on the list in missing persons cases, aren't they? I suspect all the people connected to the family are being checked out as standard procedure.

Anonymous said...

Does anyone connected to the Liknes family own a private plane?

Anonymous said...

How odd it is that there is another petroleum company listed down the street from the Liknes home, one that was involved in a lawsuit that went to the Alberta Court of Appeal.

There is more to this community than meets the eye.

Anonymous said...

What is very strange is that one of the Liknes neighbors has a LinkedIn photo that looks very much like Kathryn Liknes' Facebook photo.

Philly Deb said...

Nathan O’Brien and his grandparents were murdered, Calgary police say as they move to charge suspect

http://news.nationalpost.com/2014/07/14/douglas-garland-arrested-again-in-connection-with-nathan-obrien-amber-alert-and-missing-grandparents/