Cold Lake RCMP has charged a Bonnyville man following a fatal two-vehicle collision on Highway 897 that claimed the life of a five-year-old girl earlier this week.
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Police say officers were called to the Beaver River Bridge just after 10 p.m. on Jan. 13, where a minivan and a Ford F-350 pickup truck had collided. A five-year-old girl in the minivan was pronounced dead at the scene.
A 10-month-old boy, a 27-year-old woman and a 30-year-old man were taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Investigators determined the pickup truck involved in the collision had been reported stolen three days earlier in Lashburn. RCMP say a suspect fled the scene following the crash and stole a vehicle belonging to a good Samaritan who had stopped to help.
As the investigation unfolded, the Alberta RCMP Real Time Operations Centre deployed multiple specialized units, including Alberta Traffic Services, the Criminal Collision Investigation Team and a collision analyst. Officers from several detachments and specialized units were also involved in the search for the suspect.
Police located the stolen good Samaritan’s vehicle abandoned around 11 p.m. Officers continued patrols, including checks at the residences of known offenders.
Shortly after 1 a.m. on Jan. 14, officers located another stolen vehicle parked outside a residence, with a shotgun visible inside. Police say evidence has since linked at least one person inside the home to the fatal collision. Additional stolen property was also recovered, and a separate investigation is underway involving other occupants not connected to the crash.
Ryan Mitchell Greer, 34, of Bonnyville, has been charged with failure to stop at the scene of an accident causing death, two counts of failure to stop at the scene of an accident causing bodily harm, 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 and four counts of possession of a firearm contrary to an order.
Greer was remanded into custody following a bail hearing and is scheduled to appear in Alberta Court of Justice in St. Paul on Jan. 15. Police say he 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 laid but also produced a significant amount of evidence related to the death of a child,” said Supt. Tony Hanson, assistant district officer for the Eastern Alberta District. “The coordinated response was crucial in the immediate apprehension of the suspect.”
The investigation remains ongoing.
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