Search on for missing Alberta couple after vehicle found near Mount Edith Cavell

A search is underway for an Alberta couple after their vehicle was located in a parking lot near the Mount Edith Cavell trails in Jasper National Park.

Matthew Kozak, 32, and Zabrina Ferrier, 25, are from Galahad, Alta., a small hamlet 200 kilometres southeast of Edmonton.

The search started on Monday after Kozak didn't show up for work in the morning.

Police said Kozak was last seen at work in Forestburg on Friday. Ferrier was last seen in Galahad the same day.

The two have been known to use the Mount Edith Cavell Road trails over the summer.

Their Hyundai Kona was located in the parking lot near the trails, RCMP said in a news release Monday evening.

Kozak's brother Michael and his father drove to Jasper from Saskatoon on Tuesday morning to join the search.

A search party is scouring trails near Mount Edith Cavell. Members of the search party have heard from hikers who recognized the two on the trails on Saturday, Michael Kozak said.

"We got some information of what [Matthew] was wearing, but not a lot of information," he said. "But at least we got some information now." 

Michael said his brother and Ferrier have done a lot of hiking and camping over the summer, including in backcountry areas.

"I wish they would have told somebody where they were going, what was going on, because it seemed like they just did a spur of the moment trip. [They were] just thinking of going for a hike and weren't expecting anything bad to happen and we're praying that's the case," he said.

As of Tuesday morning, RCMP did not have any updates on the search.

Killam RCMP are requesting the public contact them at 780-385-3509 or local police with any information in relation to the search for the missing couple.

Kozak is described as five-feet-eight inches tall and about 200 pounds. He has short red hair and blue eyes. He had hiking gear and a tent, police said.

Ferrier is five-feet-seven inches tall and about 140 pounds. She has shoulder-length blond hair and blue eyes.

The Mount Edith Cavell area is described on the Parks Canada website as offering a subalpine forest where a glacier recently retreated from the valley.

It warns hikers to stay on the trails, and away from cliffs as there is danger of falling boulders and avalanches of snow and ice. It's recommended to stay away from the Angel Glacier where house sized blocks of ice frequently crash down.