Vehicle believed to have been driven by Sask. stabbing suspect located by RCMP

A vehicle believed to have been driven by the prime suspect in the recent Saskatchewan stabbing attacks was located by police on Friday.

In a video posted to YouTube Friday, RCMP Assistant Commissioner Rhonda Blackmore said police located an abandoned black Nissan Rogue approximately four kilometres east of Crystal Springs, Sask.

The vehicle matched the initial description and licence plate of the SUV Myles Sanderson was believed to be travelling in.

“The vehicle had been driven off the gravel road behind trees and was not visible from the main road,” Blackmore said in the video.

RCMP said the vehicle was removed from the area and will be processed as part of the investigation. The area remains closed for the ongoing investigation.

Police launched a search of the area following a tip from a member of the public on Thursday, who said they saw an unknown man walking south on a grid road near the intersection of Range Road 2235 and Township Road 440 on Sunday, Sept. 4 at 7:40 p.m.

“While not confirmed to be Myles Sanderson, given the timeframe and the associated clothing description, we want to share this information with the public to advise he may have been in the area,” Blackmore said.

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RCMP is encouraging residents to check their properties for suspicious activities, as Sanderson may have been in the area.

Residents in the Wakaw, Crystal Springs, Weldon and James Smith Cree Nation communities and surrounding areas are also asked to report any information of past sightings and suspicious activities or thefts to their local police detachment.

“When we receive tips like this, investigators compare and validate it with other information we have already received,” Blackmore said.

“It may result in evidence being located, further crime scenes identified or even changes to the potential search locations.”

Crystal Springs, Sask. is located approximately 132 kilometres northeast of Saskatoon, and around 82 kilometres east of Rosthern, Sask., near where Sanderson was apprehended on Wednesday afternoon.

Shortly after he was taken into custody, Sanderson went into medical distress and was subsequently transported by paramedics to hospital, according to RCMP.

Speaking during a news conference in Regina Wednesday evening, Blackmore said Sanderson was pronounced dead in hospital. Before the arrival of paramedics, Blackmore said the Mounties on scene provided medical aid.

Sanderson was located near Rosthern, Sask., around 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, after a public warning was issued saying a person reportedly armed with a knife had been spotted in Wakaw, Sask.

Rosthern is located 65 kilometres northeast of Saskatoon — the province's largest city — and roughly 45 kilometres west of Wakaw.

In an update issued Friday afternoon, the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) said out of 17 individuals admitted with injuries related to the stabbing, eight remain in hospital in stable condition. Nine patients have been released.

According to police, 11 people have died, including one the suspected attackers, and 19 were injured as a result of the stabbing spree which occurred on Sunday.

Sanderson was charged with three counts of first-degree murder, one count of attempted murder and one count of break-and-enter. Police had anticipated laying more charges.

Police originally also sought Sanderson's brother Damien, 31, in connection with the stabbings. He was found dead in a grassy area of James Smith Cree Nation on Monday.

Due to Myles Sanderson's in-custody death, the Saskatchewan RCMP has asked the Saskatoon Police Service and the Saskatchewan Independent Response Team to conduct an external investigation into the incident.

It is routine practice in Saskatchewan for an outside police service to investigate serious police-involved incidents.

The RCMP has also requested the Ministry of Justice to appoint an independent observer as required under the province's policing legislation.

With files from CTV News Saskatoon's Josh Lynn