The New Brunswick RCMP is thanking law enforcement agencies and the public for their assistance in quickly and safely locating two children who were the subject of an AMBER Alert.
On November 16, 2021, at around 6:30 p.m., a 911 call was received that a 54-year-old woman had not returned at an agreed upon time with two young children in her care.
Around 11:45 a.m. that morning, the woman had picked up a two-year-old boy from his home near Miramichi. She then picked up a second child, a girl about to turn three years old, from a home in Miramichi. The woman failed to return with the children by 5 p.m., and could not be reached by family.
Police investigated the incident, and collected the necessary information from family and others. Based on the information gathered, it was determined the situation met the criteria for an AMBER Alert. The Alert was issued via the Alert Ready system to all of New Brunswick at 10:19 p.m.
Moments later, a member of the public in the Woodstock area who received the Alert called Woodstock Police Force to report a sighting of the suspect vehicle. At around 10:30 p.m., members of the Woodstock Police Force located the vehicle pulled over on the side of the westbound lane of the Trans Canada Highway in Jacksonville, with a woman and two young children inside. With assistance from members of the Western Valley RCMP detachment, the woman was taken into custody. The Department of Social Development attended to escort the children safely home. The woman is currently in RCMP custody.
A concluding AMBER Alert message was issued via the Alert Ready system at 11:12 p.m. once the families of the children had been notified.
"This is the first time an AMBER Alert has been issued in New Brunswick for an incident that occurred inside the province," says Insp. Andrea Gallant, the program manager for the New Brunswick RCMP's operations support and communications centre. "This incident was concluded within minutes of the AMBER Alert being issued. We can't thank New Brunswickers and our law enforcement colleagues enough for helping us bring these children home safely."
The Richibucto RCMP detachment and the Miramichi Police Force are both investigating, as the incidents originated in both jurisdictions.
For more information on how the Alert Ready system is used by law enforcement in New Brunswick, please visit: https://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/en/nb/quick-facts-the-rcmp-nb#alert