Grid searches for missing boy, 6, continue in Shamattawa First Nation Sunday

The search for a missing non-verbal six-year-old boy in Shamattawa First Nation continued Sunday, with multiple teams doing grid searches.

Johnson Redhead was last seen on Wednesday morning, after he went to his school's breakfast program but didn't show up to class after that, RCMP previously said.

Redhead, who was last seen wearing a blue hoodie with a grey hood, is believed to have left the school area Wednesday, sparking a large-scale search of the area by community members and police.

RCMP said in a social media post Sunday afternoon that the the search party includes members from RCMP Search and Rescue, the Office of the Fire Commissioner, Manto Sipi Cree Nation, Pimicikamak Cree Nation and Tataskweyak Cree Nation.

Handfuls of members from Shamattawa First Nation have also been helping with the search, RCMP previously told CBC News.

A five-person team from Garden Hill First Nationis also expected to arrive in the northeastern Manitoba fly-in community Sunday night, RCMP said in their post.

On Saturday, RCMP Sgt. PaulManaigre said the search has been largely focused on bushes in the west of the community, near its nursing station, after tracks were spotted in the gravel pits there. It's not yet known if the tracks were Redhead's.

Three main search teams with GPS were expected to conduct a grid search of that area Saturday afternoon, Manaigre said, walking the area back and forth in a line, about six metres apart, then inputting the data into a map to track which areas have been covered.

He also said the expansive search also included a helicopter, a police dog and drones with infrared capability.

On Saturday, Redhead's aunt, Sheila Reigns, wrote in a Facebook post "Family is not giving up and they just wanna be out there, they won't come home yet, until they found him,"

"Let's not give up. I know it's getting exhausting and tiring," the post said.