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The RCMP has found the SUV it believes was used as a getaway vehicle by Myles Sanderson.
In a video posted Friday afternoon, Assistant Commissioner Rhonda Blackmore — the commanding officer of the Saskatchewan RCMP — said officers found the black Nissan Rogue the Mounties think Sanderson used after Sunday’s mass murders on the James Smith Cree Nation and in Weldon.
Blackmore said the abandoned SUV was found Friday at 9:40 a.m., about four kilometres east of Crystal Springs.
“The vehicle had been driven off the gravel road behind trees and was not visible from the main road,” Blackmore said. “The vehicle description and licence plate matched the initial report of the vehicle Myles Sanderson was believed to be travelling in.”
Throughout the manhunt, police said the vehicle had been spotted in Regina on Sunday afternoon, prompting the search for Sanderson to shift to the Queen City.
Sanderson and his brother, Damien, were the prime suspects in the attacks Sunday that left 10 people dead and 18 people injured.
Damien’s body was found Monday on the James Smith Cree Nation. Myles was captured by the RCMP on Wednesday near Rosthern, but he went into what the Mounties called “medical distress” shortly after his arrest and was pronounced dead at a Saskatoon hospital.
In the video, Blackmore said investigators got a call Thursday from a witness who reported seeing an unknown man walking south on a grid road Sunday at 7:40 p.m.
Blackmore said the timeframe and clothing description suggested to the RCMP that it was Sanderson, so officers shifted their search area — and located the Nissan.
Crystal Springs is about 50 kilometres northeast of Wakaw.
On Wednesday, Sanderson stole a Chevy Avalanche from the Wakaw area, and that started the pursuit that ended with his arrest on Highway 11 south of Rosthern.
Blackmore said the RCMP had removed the Rogue from the area where it was found and will process it as part of the investigation. She also thanked the witness who came forward with the information.
“This was key in helping us solve another piece of this complex investigation, narrow our search and adds to the timeline our investigators continue to build,” she said. “We never know when a seemingly insignificant tip may lead us to crucial evidence.”
The RCMP is asking residents of the Wakaw, Crystal Springs, Weldon and James Smith Cree Nation areas to share any information about things such as sightings, suspicious activity or thefts in their areas.
The Mounties still don’t have answers to some questions, including where Sanderson was between Sunday and Wednesday. The RCMP is trying to answer those questions and share as much information as it can with the public.
“This is, and continues to be, one of the most complex investigations and urgent public safety incidents in Saskatchewan’s history,” Blackmore said, “and it continues to be an ongoing criminal investigation.”
The video can be seen below.
