Police continued to search an acreage near Airdrie for any sign of a missing five-year-old Calgary boy and his grandparents and say a person of interest in the case appeared in court on Monday on an unrelated matter.

Police have been at the sprawling property since Friday night and say they were led there by a tip about a truck that matched the description of the one that was released earlier in the week.

Nathan O'Brien and his grandparents, Alvin and Kathy Liknes, were reported missing from their home in Calgary's Parkhill neighbourhood on Monday, June 30.

Police confirm a violent crime took place in the home and have been searching for the trio ever since.

A massive search was launched at the property east of Airdrie on Saturday and for the third straight day; police are scouring fields, forest, a pond, and outbuildings in the area.

A black SUV was found near a pond in the area and became the focus of the search for a time on Monday as investigators tried to determine if it was relevent to the case. So far there has been no information released on what if anything has been found on or near the property.

A person of interest was taken in for questioning on Friday in connection to the case. That man, identified by neighbours as Douglas Garland, appeared in court via closed circuit television on an unrelated matter on Monday.

Neighbours say Garland lives on the acreage with his parents, Archie and Doreen Garland.

Douglas Garland, 54, appeared in court on Monday on identity theft charges:

Douglas Robert Garland (1960-01-27) on or about the 4th day of July, 2014, at or near Calgary, did knowingly obtain or possess identity information of Matthew Hartley in circumstances that give rise to a reasonable inference that the information was intended to be used to commit an indictable offence, contrary to section 402 (2) of the Criminal Code. "

This isn’t the first time he has been accused of identity theft. Garland is known to police and was arrested during a raid by RCMP at the same Alberta farm in 1992 for producing amphetamines.

He fled and assumed the identity of a 14-year old Cardston, Alberta boy who had died in a car crash.

Garland moved to Vancouver and assumed the name of Matthew Hartley soon after and was picked up by police in May 1999. He pleaded guilty to the drug offences in connection with the assumed identity and served time in prison.

While living in Vancouver under the assumed name he worked for several years as a chemist.

Garland obtained employment with Can Test Ltd. under the name Matthew Hartley and was a coordinator in the company’s trace organics department where he supervised more than 30 employees for about four years.

According to a 2005 court document regarding Garland’s employment insurance, he was dismissed from the company in October 1997.

Mr. Garland responded to an ad in the Vancouver newspaper and successfully applied for a job with Can Test. He applied under his new identity, claiming to have a BSc. degree. He explained in Court that he considered his year in medical school qualified him to make this claim. Mr. Garland was a coordinator in the company's trace organics department, testing pesticides, herbicides and organic compounds. He rose to become a supervisor of 30 or more employees, but found he was unable to cope, and he suffered another breakdown in late 1997. He was dismissed in October 1997. He considered a wrongful dismissal suit. He obtained employment insurance benefits under the name Matthew Hartley.

In the document, the judgment makes note of Garland’s condition at the time of the appeal, where he represented himself and won the case.

Mr. Garland is in his mid-forties. He suffers from attention deficient disorder (ADD). It was clear that he was agitated throughout the trial, but it was also apparent that he was an intelligent individual. Mr. Garland attended medical school in Alberta for one year until he suffered a breakdown. He also seems to have been traumatized by causing what he described as a horrific accident due to falling asleep at the wheel.

Calgary police say Garland had documentation on him when he was arrested Friday identifying him as Matthew Hartley.

Garland remains in custody until his next court appearance set for Wednesday and does not yet have a lawyer. 

Garland v. M.N.R., 2005 TCC 176