In the three days since the earthquake devastated Haiti, there's been no word from Ottawa RCMP Supt. Doug Coates. His family is holding onto hope that he's been busy in the relief effort and unable to return calls.
It's believed the officer was working in or around the United Nations headquarters in Port-au-Prince when it collapsed under the weight of the 7.0-magnitude earthquake on Tuesday.
"We have definitely not given up hope for his safe return to us, and if anyone here has the strength and will and courage to survive, it's my father," said Luc Coates in a news conference to media on Friday.
The RCMP told Coates' family that his whereabouts is unknown. Before the quake, he lived in a two-storey apartment complex in the Haitian capital with at least one other officer from the RCMP.
Extensive peacekeeping experience
Media reports say Coates is a peacekeeper who worked in Haiti as far back as 1993, later helping the country as the director of international peace operations in Ottawa.
He also held senior positions in international training and peacekeeping during his time at the RCMP.
Tens of thousands are dead or missing in the poverty-stricken country, with around 1,400 Canadians missing, according to numbers released by the federal government.
Meanwhile, 800 Canadian troops are on standby to do peacekeeping deployments in the region if necessary. There are already reports of robbery and looting in the devastated streets of Port-au-Prince.
At least four Canadians are confirmed dead in the quake, including fellow RCMP Sgt. Mark Gallagher, who is based in New Brunswick. He is the first Canadian police officer to die while peacekeeping, according to Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
With a report from The Canadian Press
