The remains of 14-year-old Samuel Bird have been located and a murder charge has been filed in his death, police said Thursday.
His mother, Alanna Bird, announced Thursday on social media that the boy’s remains had been located.
The Edmonton Police Service later said in a news release that the remains were located in a rural area outside of Edmonton.
Police said Bryan Farrell, 38, was arrested and charged Wednesday with second-degree murder and interference with a body in connection with Bird’s death.
After months of searching, police say they found the remains of 14-year-old Samuel Bird. The teen has been missing since June 1, 2025. As Sam Samson reports, investigators say they have now arrested a man and charged him with second-degree murder.
Farrell has also been charged with 13 other crimes, including: aggravated assault, arson of property without regard to human life, unauthorized possession of a firearm, assaulting a law enforcement officer with a weapon, uttering threats and fraud over $5,000.
Court records show his arson charges involve the west Edmonton property Bird visited on the night of her disappearance.
EPS executed a search warrant at the home on September 18.
Less than two weeks later, the house was on fire, which EPS said at the time was a suspicious fire.
He also faces a charge of threatening a woman about Samuel’s mother.
Police said they are not looking for any other suspects in Bird’s death and Farrell is the only person charged.
Bird, a member of the Paul First Nation, has been missing since June 1, after he left his home in west Edmonton to visit a friend.
His disappearance sparked a massive search effort by family members, volunteers and search and rescue teams. Alanna Bird’s social media post thanked police and everyone involved in trying to find him, including those who shared the poster of his disappearance and showed up at rallies.
Tiera Williams assisted in the search for Samuel Bird, including organizing a search for water on the North Saskatchewan River. She said she cried when she heard the news Thursday.
“Keeping all those emotions with you all summer and into the fall, it was five months of praying every day,” he said.
“I went to bed thinking about this beautiful boy and I woke up thinking about him. There are so many emotions. I’m grateful we found him, so grateful they can rest. But it also comes with so much sadness because he’s a little boy and it shouldn’t have happened.”
He said now that Bird’s remains have been found, attention will turn to seeking justice for the 14-year-old boy.
Bird was seen on surveillance video at approximately 8:30 p.m. on June 1, walking on the grounds of Holy Cross School in the city’s west end, investigators said in a news release.
He was last seen at a friend’s home in the area of 150th Street and 106th Avenue, where police carried out the search warrant in September.
Earlier this month, police said the disappearance was being considered criminal and stated that investigators believe he is dead and that his body was taken and hidden outside the city.
“After a long and complex investigation, we are pleased to be able to conclude this file and hopefully bring some measure of resolution and justice to Samuel’s loved ones who have been searching for him tirelessly,” said lead investigator Det. Jared Buhler of the EPS homicide section said in a news release Thursday.
