"He's just a little boy. He can't even take care of himself yet, and that's the scary thing because he's so dependent on me."
Destiny Turner, Austin, Manitoba

"Our son Chase has been missing since March 22. It's unlike our son to wander off of our property, and if he did he would always have our dog with him. Chase has vanished without a trace."
Thomas Martens, Austin, Manitoba

"Our radius is expanding, and now involving more and more water. Most of the ground has been searched."
"You have to keep in mind the time frame we are dealing with at this point. Obviously we remain hopeful. It's in our nature ... We are aware of what we're dealing with right now."
RCMP spokesman Sgt. Bert Paquet

Chase Martens was last seen playing outside his home on Tuesday, March 22 around 6 p.m. (Photo courtesy of Facebook/Lexi Thomas)

Day one when two-year-old Chase couldn't be found, there was hope. That night concern accelerated as the temperatures plunged well below freezing. He had last been seen wearing his jacket, his boots, geared up to play in the backyard of the family farm. Speculation was that he had done what any curious little boy might do, simply wandered off in a quest for interesting things to sight. Alternately, thoughts revolved around the possibility of an abduction, but that didn't seem likely and no amber alert went out.

People responded from nearby farms and towns and from further stretches of the geography, from neighbours to searchers coming in from Winnipeg, to aid the RCMP in their search and all were welcomed. As no sight was found of the child the search area expanded to take into account the wandering proclivity of a tiny boy. The RCMP brought in an underwater recovery team of divers as the area included more ponds, creeks and other bodies of water in their spring thaw cycle.

Military personnel from Canadian Forces Base Shilo joined volunteers from over a dozen fire departments. Little Chase had accompanied his father on a short routine drive, an errand swiftly concluded and when they returned home and his father entered the house, Chase wanted to play outside. His older sisters, 6 and 7, were inside the house with their mother. When Destiny Turner last looked out at the yard her tiny son was there, playing.

And then, when she looked again, around 6:15, he was nowhere to be seen. And that's when the alarm and consternation began to build, turning into the agony of uncertainty followed by stark fear. Yesterday, Chase was found in a creek not far from his family home, an area that had been searched diligently on a number of occasions. He will soon be put to final rest, a little boy whose curiosity and whose parental trust that he would remain safe led to his death.

I doubt there will be many parents of young children prepared to cast stones of blame. We have all been faced with similar situations, when our guard has been momentarily at a low ebb. We've been involved with all the little distractions of a busy life, not the least of which is looking after three small children. And most of us were fortunate that no calamity struck. The family of Chase Martens knows what calamity feels like.