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Braden Light hangs up a poster in the Art Hauser Centre as part of the search party for his missing brother Saturday afternoon. (Ian Gustafson/paNOW Staff)
Search Continues

UPDATED: Family and friends search for missing P.A.man

Nov 23, 2019 | 5:12 PM

A private search party was organized Saturday for missing 31-year-old man Donald Light in Prince Albert as police and the fire department continued their efforts to try to locate him. His family have concerns about his mental well-being. Police are accessing various video surveillance footage for clues.

According to a previous media release from the Prince Albert Police Service, Light was last seen Tuesday evening at the 400 Block of Eighth St. E.

As the police continued their enquiries, family and friends and anyone else who wanted to help met at the skate park, next to the Art Hauser Centre to perform their own search efforts.

Donald’s younger brother Braden Light said they were going to start their search downtown and talk to people, to see if anyone had seen Donald and also to hang up posters.

“We’re taking it upon ourselves to try and do something more proactive,” said Light.

Light said his brother’s disappearance had been hard on the entire family.

“My mom’s taking it pretty hard,” he said. “For me I need answers. I want to know what’s going on and trying to keep it together for the family.”

After they’d gone downtown, he said they would be looking all around the city, but he was told the railway south of P.A. would also be a good place to look.

“My aunt said she has some friends that are going to be putting boats in the river to go and look down the river,” he said. “It’s just trying to bring awareness to this because for the lack of response we’ve gotten from [police] is infuriating.”

In an updated media release issued late Saturday, P.A. Police reported Donald left home at approximately 7 p.m. on Tuesday for a walk and did not return. Police add Donald was last seen leaving a residence in the 400 block of 8th Street East at 8:15 p.m. Video surveillance confirmed him to be wearing a dark jacket, toque and jeans.

Further checks show no activity on social media, banking or cell phone since his disappearance, according to the release. It added, Prince Albert Fire Department assisted with a river search Saturday and police continue to canvas the area Donald was last seen.

Investigators continue to follow up with video surveillance retrieval. Donald’s family as well as the Prince Albert Police are concerned for his mental well-being.

“My mom every day is just getting worse and worse being worried and being sick about this and we need some sort of answer,” he added.

Light said his brother is quiet, keeps to himself, he’s been trying to write a book and isn’t very outgoing.

“He likes to stay in his room on his computer when he’s not working but he does go out for walks and bike rides, but this is just so out of character for him to just up and disappear,” Light explained. “That’s one of the big indicators that we know either something is up with him and his mental health or something has happened to him.”

Donald Light. (Submitted photo/Prince Albert Police Service)

Donald’s aunt Cindy Koob said they have the utmost confidence in the police force, but they wanted to help look.

“I think what it is, is the feeling of helplessness of the family and the feeling of needing to actively do something to try to bring Donald home,” she said. “We are all absolutely worried beyond belief for his safety.”

Koob told paNOW Donald said he was going for a walk right before he disappeared.

“He told his mom he was going for a walk and he wasn’t worried, and he should have been home within 45 minutes to an hour and a half,” she said.

She added it wasn’t unusual for him to go walking on his own but was less common for him to be out at 7 p.m. this time of the year. She said everything seemed normal, but it was unlike him to disappear without telling someone he wasn’t coming home that night.

“I don’t believe this is a case of ‘I’m missing, and I want to be,’” she said. “There’s been a lot of tears. Everybody’s trying their best to hold it together and I have to say I’m so proud of his mom in particular.”

Police are asking anyone with information about Donald Light’s whereabouts to call police at 306-953-4222 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

Editor’s note: this story was amended to include updated information supplied by P.A. police late Saturday night which indicates he left home and then visited another residence.

Ian.gustafson@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @iangustafson12

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