On Sunday, his abandoned vehicle was discovered by members of a Bayfield family, who were riding through the woods on their ATVs.  The family had recently read a newspaper story about MacDonald's disappearance. Suspicious that the car might be his, they called RCMP, who confirmed the identity of the owner.

RCMP called in a dog handler to conduct a search of the area. Personal items belonging to MacDonald were found in the woods.

A search and rescue team was dispatched to the area, and spent the rest of the day looking for the man. The search continued Monday.