B.C. RCMP putting up billboards to find 11-year-old boy, missing for three weeks

Police are posting messages on billboards across British Columbia as they escalate efforts to locate a missing 11-year-old boy who they think is with an unidentified caregiver.

Burnaby RCMP said in a statement Friday that Kai Pavlovic had been missing since at least Sept. 26 when police were contacted to conduct a well-being check.

They said investigators spoke with Kai’s family and believe he is with a caretaker, who police are “actively working to identify.”

Billboards carrying Kai’s photo will go up across the Lower Mainland and elsewhere on Friday, in partnership with MissingKids.ca.

Cpl. Laura Hirst said in the statement that police need the public’s help to find the boy and are also appealing directly to the caregiver to come forward and contact RCMP.

The RCMP has released few details about the circumstances of the case, but previously said an Amber Alert had not been issued because Kai’s situation did not meet the criteria of an abduction being confirmed and imminent danger being posed to him.

The latest statement said police needed to “confirm Kai’s safety and well-being.”

In an interview on Friday, RCMP spokeswoman Const. Joelle Kerridge would not answer questions about the boy’s family, whether he lived in Canada or was visiting, who called in the wellness check, and long it had been since that person last saw or heard from Kai.

The RCMP has previously said Kai has family in New Zealand, and on Friday said the family also has “close connections” with the Serbian community.

“Our investigators have an understanding of the timeline. However, that forms part of our investigation, so we aren’t able to share that at this time,” Kerridge said.

Kerridge would not describe what the family had shared with police about the caretaker, but said it “isn’t an unusual arrangement that a caretaker is watching over Kai.”

Kerridge said information beyond what is in the news releases can’t be shared “to protect the integrity of the investigation.”

Mounties also issued a Serbian-language news release after learning of the family’s close connections to that community.

Kai is about five feet tall with a thin build and brown hair, and anyone with information on his whereabouts is urged to contact Burnaby RCMP or local police.

Police shared a statement from the family last week.

“Kai is a bright, curious, outgoing and kind little boy who loves to climb trees, build forts and learn to sail. He is a friend to all animals and particularly adores horses, cats and dogs,” the statement said, adding that the boy’s family in New Zealand “love him dearly.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 17, 2025.