A case that began in the Peace region ten days ago has now stretched across two provinces, and two young children are still missing.
Lanakai Morrison, 6, and Karl Morrison, 4, were last connected to Valhalla Centre, in the County of Grande Prairie, before the group they're believed to be with headed west into British Columbia. On July 17, Alberta RCMP's Major Crime Unit issued a renewed appeal for help finding them.
Police believe the boys are with Lanakai's mother, 35-year-old Krista Morrison, and her partner, 35-year-old Daniel Ludwig, who is Karl's father. Both adults are wanted for abduction in contravention of a custody or parenting order.
We've been following this since it began in the Peace region. Here's our coverage from when the Amber Alert was first issued: https://www.culturealberta.com/articles/amber-alert-in-effect-for-6-year-old-lanakai-morrison-abducted-near-beaverlodge-alberta
And when the alert was cancelled while Lanakai was still missing: https://www.culturealberta.com/articles/amber-alert-cancelled-but-6-year-old-lanakai-morrison-is-still-missing-rcmp-say-the-public-can-no-lo
How we got here: the timeline
The case has moved a long way from where it started.
July 7 — Lanakai Morrison is allegedly abducted from Valhalla Centre, in the County of Grande Prairie, near Beaverlodge. Beaverlodge RCMP issue an Amber Alert.
July 8 — RCMP confirm a sighting of Lanakai in Fort St. John, B.C., at around 9:30 a.m.
July 10 — The Amber Alert is cancelled in Alberta and B.C. RCMP say it was cancelled because there was "no reasonable expectation the public, in Alberta, will be able to action the instructions in the alert." The children remain missing.
July 11 — The alert is also cancelled in the Northwest Territories.
July 17 — The Major Crime Unit issues a fresh appeal. The children are still missing, and the search has shifted to B.C.'s Okanagan.
Why there's no Amber Alert anymore, even though they're still missing
This is the part that confuses people, and it's worth being clear about.
An Amber Alert being cancelled does not mean a child has been found. It means the specific conditions that justify pushing an alert to every phone in a region no longer apply, usually because police no longer believe the public in that area can act on it. When Alberta RCMP cancelled this one, they said plainly it was because there was no reasonable expectation that people in Alberta could help, since the trail had already led into British Columbia.
The case itself never closed. It moved from a province-wide emergency alert to an ongoing investigation led by the Major Crime Unit, which is what today's appeal is. The children are just as missing as they were when they were taken from the Peace region on July 7.
A parental abduction, which makes it complicated
This isn't a stranger taking a child. Each boy is with one of his own biological parents, Lanakai with his mother, Krista Morrison, and Karl with his father, Daniel Ludwig, who are partners. Police haven't suggested the immediate danger a stranger abduction carries. But under the law it's still an abduction: a court had already decided where these children were supposed to be, and both Morrison and Ludwig are wanted for taking them in contravention of a custody or parenting order.
That's why RCMP are still searching. Two young children are being kept on the move across provinces, outside the stable home a custody order is meant to protect.
Where police believe they are now
RCMP say there were signs the group had been in the Okanagan Valley near Vernon, and may have been heading toward the East Kootenays.
But they've been hard to pin down. Police describe the group as "very mobile" and say they could now be in northern B.C., the Yukon, or back in Alberta. That constant movement is part of why this has stretched into a second week.
There's also a new detail about how they may be travelling. The group was last believed to be in a red 2006 Ford F350 with a lift and large tires, Alberta licence plate CXW8820, but RCMP now say they may also be in a motorhome. That matters for anyone keeping watch: a family in a motorhome moving through B.C.'s Interior in mid-July blends into a landscape full of exactly that, which is part of what makes them hard to spot.
Who police are looking for
Lanakai Morrison, 6: slight build, long light-brown hair, brown eyes.
Karl Morrison, 4: blond hair.
Krista Morrison, 35 (Lanakai's mother): 5'8", medium build, long dark brown hair, brown eyes.
Daniel Ludwig, 35 (Karl's father): 5'11", large build, brown hair, brown eyes.
Both adults are wanted for abduction in contravention of a custody or parenting order.
What to do if you see them
The Peace region connection matters here. This started near Beaverlodge, the families are from this area, and if the group doubles back into Alberta, the northwest is exactly where someone might recognize them.
If you see the vehicle, the motorhome, or anyone matching these descriptions, contact Beaverlodge RCMP at 780-354-2955, or your local police.
To leave an anonymous tip, contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477, online at P3Tips.com, or through the P3 Tips app. Alberta RCMP's non-emergency line, within any RCMP jurisdiction in the province, is 310-RCMP (310-7267).
If you believe you're seeing the children or the adults in the moment, call 911.
We'll update this story as the search continues.
Sources:
Alberta RCMP Major Crime Unit / Beaverlodge RCMP, news release, July 17, 2026
Alberta RCMP statements on the Amber Alert cancellation, July 10, 2026
Culture Alberta, previous coverage of the abduction and the Amber Alert cancellation
