Mother of missing Edmonton teen Samuel Bird says she received graphic videos of her son

It has been more than a month and a half since 14-year-old Samuel Bird went missing from Edmonton on June 1. His mother, Alanna Bird, hasn’t stopped searching for him and is praying that Samuel is just hiding somewhere and will come home soon. “Samuel left the house with his friend and they were going to go talk to his (a person he knew at a home). They live not too far from us,” said Bird. “Samuel said he would be back and I waited all night and he just never came home after that. No matter what Samuel did, when he went to stay at a friend’s house, he would always let me know where he was. He would never stay mad or run away like this. He wasn’t like that.” Bird said Samuel, who is from the Paul Band/Paul First Nation in Alberta, would always be on Snap Chat, Facebook and Instagram messaging and talking with his friends and family daily. However, on the day he went missing, his activity online suddenly stopped. ‘My kids are taking it really, really hard,’ says Allana Bird. Photo courtesy of the family. Bird said it’s highly suspicious and she believes something happened to him. “Since June 1st he hasn’t been online at all. He hasn’t messaged back and his sister’s birthday just passed and he wouldn’t miss his sister’s birthday,” she said. “My kids are taking it really, really hard. Especially his younger sister and I worry about my mom and I just take it day by day. Minute by minute. Sometimes I’m okay and sometimes I’m not. I try to be strong for my kids but I break down a lot.” Adding to the family’s stress and heartache, Bird said she received disturbing, gruesome and graphic videos of people allegedly assaulting her son. Bird said Samuel can be seen laying on the ground, covering his face with his hands as he is allegedly getting kicked and beaten with a baton and bat. Someone is also seen carrying a long knife in the video. “It does look like him, yes. I don’t want to confirm because a part of me doesn’t want to believe it. People are coming forward and sharing stuff that they see online and some of these kids or people are sharing stuff publicly and it’s really hard to see. “The thing that I heard that really hurts is that (my son) was put in a dumpster and he’s in the landfill or else he’s in the river,” said Bird while holding back tears. “Sam was bullied when he was younger and made fun of so I think he wanted to feel like he had people behind him but I don’t think he understood what comes with that territory. I told him those people can turn on you in a second. I think he just wanted to fit in with the crowd and he paid for it.” APTN News reached out to the Edmonton police for comment or confirm the videos and investigation but did not hear back before publishing time. According to police, Samuel Bird left his residence to visit a friend in west Edmonton. He was later reported to be seen leaving a friend’s home on foot and never returned home and has not been seen by friends or family since. The police’s missing persons unit is now actively investigating several reports of possible sightings but so far, they have been unable to confirm his whereabouts. “I know the (police) is helping but when it’s something like this, you just want answers right away because it’s really, really hard. No matter what someone did to someone, no one deserves to go out like this,” said Bird. Bird said she plans to organize a large search party for a future date in Edmonton to try and find her son. For now, family members have been searching the city daily and putting up missing persons posters and following any tips or leads from people online who may have possibly seen Samuel. “His dad, his brothers and sisters have been putting up posters every day since he went missing. Any time we hear he was seen, we go to that store right away. We just don’t sit back and wait for police. I think today is the day that I finally got 6 hours of sleep because I haven’t been sleeping. Every time I hear a noise, I think its Sam,” said Bird. Bird said her son was previously going to school at Alex Janvier School in Edmonton and was completing his studies in Grade 9. But two months before the end of the school year, he decided to step away from school. Bird said she tried to get her son help at WrapED, a strength-based support, prevention and intervention for youth.  She said Samuel agreed and was looking forward to getting help. “Last year, Sam was a skater boy and this year he wanted to fit in and I think he chose the wrong crowd. He is such a polite kid and he’s really funny and he had a lot of friends and all the girls loved him, he was always very charming,” said Bird. Samuel Bird is 5’8”, with a slim build and has brown hair and brown eyes and is known to frequent West Edmonton Mall and is familiar with both west and south Edmonton. His mom said he also travels the city by transit, bike, skateboard and on foot. Police said they are also concerned for his wellbeing. “I just really want him to come back home, I miss him so much, I can’t even think of anything violent happening to him. I am hoping and praying to Creator that maybe he is just hiding but it’s just been too long, he hasn’t been online, nothing,” said Bird. “Samuel if you are just hiding please just come home, please call mom, call us, anybody to let us know you’re okay. We really miss you.” If anyone knows where Samuel Bird is, you are asked to contact Edmonton Police at 780-423-4567 or call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477. Continue Reading