Abduction that prompted Amber Alert was pre-planned: Surrey RCMP
Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to remove any reference to the children involved after they were found safe on July 29, 2023.
Surrey RCMP are providing new details Monday into an ongoing Amber Alert, saying that the abduction might have been pre-planned and they have reason to believe the family has gone “off the grid.”
The search for the eight-year-old and the 10-year-old began on July 19, after they were not returned to their father, the children’s primary caregiver, by their mother.
Last week, police said they suspect the children and their mother are travelling in the company of two males.
The family is from Surrey, which is why the Amber Alert was issued by RCMP in that city; however, the last known sighting of the mother was in Kamloops on July 15.
The children were last seen July 7, 2023, when they attended a gas station in Merritt.
“Police and family continue to have concerns for the safety and wellbeing of the children,” RCMP said.
At the time, the mother was believed to be driving a dark blue Dodge Ram 2500 truck, and she has been seen towing a number of trailers, including a horse trailer and travel trailers.
As for the boyfriend, police say “He is an outdoorsman who enjoys fishing and he has a history of living ‘off the grid’ for periods of time,” the RCMP said.
Anyone with information on the suspects and the children’s whereabouts is urged to contact 911 immediately.