Man charged with murder as remains of Samuel Bird located outside Edmonton

The remains of 14-year-old Samuel Bird have been located and a murder charge has been laid in his death, police said Thursday.

14-year-old was last seen on June 1

The remains of 14-year-old Samuel Bird have been located and a murder charge has been laid in his death, police said Thursday.

His mother, Alanna Bird, announced on social media Thursday that the remains of the boy had been located.

Edmonton Police Service later said in a news release that the remains were located in a rural area outside Edmonton.

Police said Bryan Farrell, 38, was arrested and charged Wednesday with second-degree murder and interfering with a body in relation to Bird's death.

WATCH | Man charged with murder; Samuel Bird's remains found:

Man facing murder charge as remains of Samuel Bird found outside Edmonton

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Duration1:46

After months of searching, police say they have 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've now arrested a man and charged him with second-degree murder.

Farrell has also been charged with 13 other offences, including: aggravated assault, arson to property with disregard for human life, unauthorized possession of a firearm, assaulting a peace officer with a weapon, uttering threats and fraud over $5,000.

Court records show his arson charges involve the west Edmonton property that Bird visited the night he disappeared.

EPS executed a search warrant on the house on Sept. 18.

Less than two weeks later the house was in flames, which EPS said at the time was a suspicious fire.

He is also facing a charge of uttering a threat to 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 Paul First Nation, has been missing since June 1, after he left his west Edmonton home to visit a friend.

His disappearance launched a massive search effort by family, 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 his missing poster and showed up at rallies.

He was seen on surveillance video at approximately 8:30 p.m. that night, walking through the grounds of Holy Cross School in the city's west end, investigators said in a news release.

He was last seen at the home of a friend in the area of 150th Street and 106th Avenue, where police conducted the search warrant in September.

Earlier this month police said the disappearance was considered criminal, stating that investigators believe he’s dead, and that his body was taken and concealed outside the city.

“After a lengthy 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 tirelessly for him,” said primary investigator Det. Jared Buhler, with the EPS homicide section, in a news release Thursday.

With files from Madeline Smith