She Left Calgary and Didn't Come Home
On April 6, 82-year-old Diane Cooper drove away from her Calgary home with her Dalmatian dog, Halo. She never returned. Cooper was reported missing that evening after her air tags stopped pinging near Veteran, Alta. a small town on Highway 12 between Coronation and Consort. Earlier that afternoon, surveillance footage confirmed she had stopped to fuel up in Stettler. A witness there gave her directions back to Calgary. She drove east instead. By 10:51 p.m., a business in Hoosier, Sask. captured her vehicle on surveillance footage roughly 18 kilometres past the Alberta border. Her air tag went silent the following day. That was the last anyone knew of where she was.
No Ties to Saskatchewan. No Explanation.
Her granddaughter Zoe Cooper told media the trip made no sense. "She has no ties in Saskatchewan," Zoe said. "It doesn't make any sense." RCMP Cpl. Teri-Ann Bakker said investigators believed Cooper had become disoriented. "We don't know where she was heading," Bakker said. A witness in Stettler confirmed Cooper had been asking for directions back to Calgary before driving the opposite way. Zoe said she believed her grandmother simply got lost. "Maybe she was on the highway and just kept going and then was like, 'Oh my God, where am I?'"
A Search That Spanned Two Provinces
Consort RCMP pulled in resources from across Alberta and Saskatchewan. Detachments in nine Alberta communities and six Saskatchewan communities joined the search. RCMP Air Services flew patterns on both sides of the border. The Missing Persons Unit, Intellex Unit, Saskatchewan search and rescue teams, RCMP traffic services, and the Saskatchewan Marshal Service were all involved. Tips came in from Alberta, Saskatchewan, and British Columbia. None led anywhere. Zoe and her family drove out to rural Saskatchewan over the final weekend of the search to patrol the roads themselves. "There's still plenty of tips coming in," she said. "I do think we're getting closer to finding her."
Found Near Kindersley
On Saturday evening, April 18, Consort RCMP located Cooper deceased in the Rural Municipality of Grandview, near Kindersley, Sask., at approximately 7:40 p.m. The circumstances surrounding her death are not considered suspicious. Halo was found safe.
Zoe shared a public statement Sunday:
"Our grandma has unfortunately passed away. While this is not entirely unexpected, we are absolutely brokenhearted. By some miracle, our dog Halo has survived. We are so deeply grateful to everyone who helped search, shared posts, and showed us kindness and support during this incredibly difficult time. It has meant more to us than we can express."
RCMP extended condolences to the family and friends of Diane Cooper. Culture Alberta extends its deepest condolences to Diane's family and all those who loved her.
Sources:
Consort RCMP news releases, April 7–19, 2026
Consort RCMP investigative timeline release, April 16, 2026
RCMP Cpl. Teri-Ann Bakker, Alberta RCMP spokesperson
Zoe Cooper, granddaughter of Diane Cooper
