Missing 11-year-old in Amber Alert found dead in Brampton, father arrested

An Amber Alert issued on Thursday night in search of 11-year-old Riya Rajkumar has ended in the worst way. At approximately 12:30 am, Peel Police confirmed that Riya had been found dead in a residence in Brampton. Her 41-year-old father, Roopesh Rajkumar, who had abducted her had been found and arrested. Police also confirm that a homicide investigation is underway.

Update: Roopesh Rajkumar has been located and arrested. Riya Rajkumar has been located deceased at a residence in #Brampton. Homicide and Missing Persons Bureau has taken carriage of this investigation.

— Peel Regional Police (@PeelPoliceMedia) February 15, 2019

Riya did not live with her father full-time, but was dropped off at a Mississauga gas station at approximately 3 pm so Roopesh could take her out on her birthday. Her mother reported her missing to police after Riya failed to return at the agreed time of 6:30 pm, according to CBC. While the Amber Alert did wake up many in the region, resulting in many complaints being posted on social media, it ended up being the reason the suspect’s vehicle was spotted and reported to police.

Our communications bureau is receiving numerous calls to 9-1-1, complaining about the late hour of the Amber Alert. As a direct result of someone receiving the alert, we were able to locate the suspect & his vehicle. The system works. Thank you to all those that called with tips.

— Peel Regional Police (@PeelPoliceMedia) February 15, 2019

I can’t even begin to describe how disappointing and upsetting it is to read the comments, emails and calls to our communications bureau complaining about receiving an Amber Alert late at night. I appreciate that a lot of people were sleeping but the immediate need to locate 1/2

— Cst. Akhil Mooken (@OfficerMooken) February 15, 2019

the child outweighed the momentary inconvenience that some people encountered. Tragically this incident did not have the outcome we were all hoping for but the suspect was located as a direct result of a citizen receiving the alert and calling 9-1-1. The system works. 2/2

— Cst. Akhil Mooken (@OfficerMooken) February 15, 2019