An 82-year-old Calgary woman who vanished nearly a week ago has been spotted on surveillance video in Saskatchewan, sparking a cross-border search effort that has left her family bewildered and desperate for answers.
Diane Cooper was reported missing on April 7 after failing to return home to Calgary. Alberta RCMP say video evidence shows she fuelled up her vehicle in Stettler, Alta., on the evening of April 6 before heading eastward toward the provincial border.
A Trail That Keeps Moving East
According to RCMP, Cooper's vehicle was captured on surveillance footage near Hoosier, Sask.—a small hamlet roughly 18 kilometres east of the Alberta-Saskatchewan border—at approximately 10:51 p.m. on April 6. The sighting came after witnesses placed her traveling east on Highway 12 near Veteran, Alta., about 100 kilometres west of Hoosier, at 9:30 p.m. that same evening.
"The most credible information we have right now suggests that Diane Cooper was actually in Saskatchewan," said Cpl. Teri-Ann Bakker of Alberta RCMP. "Video surveillance shows her vehicle in the Hoosier area on April 6 at about 10:51 p.m."
Family's Desperate Chase
The search took a personal turn when Cooper's granddaughter, 26-year-old Zoe Cooper, also of Calgary, learned her grandmother was missing. On April 6, Zoe received notifications from air tags attached to her grandmother's belongings—the first alert pinged from Stettler, where Cooper had stopped to fuel up.
"No matter how close I could get or how much I could gain on her, she kept getting further and further away," Zoe recalled. She immediately got in her car and drove toward Stettler. When another notification showed her grandmother had already reached Castor, Alta., Zoe pivoted to follow, but the distance kept growing.
Cooper was traveling with the family's Dalmatian, Halo, and carrying only the belongings already in her vehicle when she left.
An Unexplained Journey
What troubles Zoe most is the apparent senselessness of the route her grandmother took. "We don't know where she was heading," Bakker said, reflecting the mystery surrounding Cooper's sudden departure.
"There was no reason why my grandmother would have purposely travelled in that direction," Zoe emphasized, suggesting that Cooper's journey may not have been intentional or that circumstances beyond her control may be at play.
Cooper's last confirmed ping was just outside Veteran, Alta., heading east on Highway 12—the direction that would take her into Saskatchewan and away from Calgary.
What Happens Next
RCMP have escalated the search across provincial lines, coordinating with Saskatchewan detachments. Police are asking anyone with information about Diane Cooper or her vehicle sightings to contact their local detachment or Crime Stoppers.
"We miss her so much," Zoe said simply. The family is urging the public to remain vigilant and report any sightings.
This article is based on reporting from CBC Calgary.