Edmonton father wanted Canada-wide for abduction of his two children
Scot MacDermid, 42, is charged with two counts of abduction in contravention of a custody order.
EDMONTON — An Edmonton father reported missing with his two young children five weeks ago is now wanted on Canada-wide warrants for their alleged abduction.
The Edmonton Police Service announced Wednesday that warrants have been issued for 42-year-old Scot MacDermid on two counts of abduction in contravention of a custody order.
MacDermid and his children, nine-year-old Lesley and six-year-old George, were last seen in Edmonton on Aug. 28.
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"Finding Lesley and George remains our top priority," said Staff Sgt. Robert Davis with the EPS child protection section.
Police said the trio was last seen at the Manning Town Centre shopping plaza in northeast Edmonton that day.
Investigators later learned MacDermid and his children were seen in Lloydminster, on the Alberta-Saskatchewan border, around 6:30 p.m. on Aug. 28.
They were seen with a man, whom police have since identified and spoken to.
Police said they do not know where the father and children went after Lloydminster, but they may have been seen in Saskatchewan or Manitoba.
The warrants for MacDermid were issued on Sept. 23. The charge is laid when a parent or guardian is alleged to have taken or hidden a child younger than 14 in violation of a court order.
Police said investigators have assessed the available evidence and determined the case has not met the criteria for an Amber Alert.
"An Amber Alert is one tool available to police, but it is not the investigation itself," Davis said. "We want the community to know that we are working to locate the children safely."
Court records show MacDermid was previously involved in a custody dispute with the children's mother.
A 2024 Alberta Court of Appeal decision details a legal battle over whether the children should live with MacDermid in the Dominican Republic or with their mother in Alberta.
The court dismissed MacDermid's appeal on June 14, 2024, upholding a lower-court ruling that the children's habitual residence was in Edmonton.
The decision documents a prolonged separation, noting the parents married in 2016 and spent time in both Edmonton and the Dominican Republic.
It states the couple separated in 2021, reconciled, then separated again in 2022 "due to alleged domestic violence."
The mother obtained an emergency protection order against MacDermid in June 2023, leading to their permanent separation.
According to the mother’s testimony, in August 2023, MacDermid took the children to Ontario for more than three weeks without her knowledge.
He was later ordered to return to Alberta with the children and relinquish their passports.
Court records show MacDermid was previously charged with two counts of breaching a protection order and two counts of criminal harassment in June 2026. Those charges were later withdrawn.
MacDermid is described as five-foot-five, weighing 160 lbs., with brown hair and blue eyes.
George is described as four-foot-two, 45 lbs., with brown hair and brown eyes. Lesley is four-foot-four, 45 lbs., with brown hair and brown eyes.
Police have said MacDermid has been unreachable, and there is concern for the welfare of his children.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Edmonton police or Crime Stoppers. Police said MacDermid and his children should not be approached.
With files from CityNews, CBC News and Global News