SASKATOON -- Saskatoon police issued an Amber Alert at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday after a four-year-old girl had been reported missing Tuesday night at 9:30.
The girl was found unharmed at 9 a.m. Wednesday with a woman in a house in the 1900 block of 20th Street and the alert was called off.
Police say the girl’s family had last seen her at 2 a.m. Tuesday and couldn’t account for the more than 19-hour gap between then and when she was reported missing.
“We're trying to answer that question as to why such a long period of time took place leading up to the missing person report,” Supt. Randy Huisman told media.
As of Wednesday morning, police say no criminal charges have been laid.
“We believe that the woman that left with the child took her voluntarily,” said Huisman, adding the matter is still under investigation.
“The person that did take her, as soon as she was notified via the media or through social media or the Amber Alert system, that her pictures were being broadcast, she called us right away and said, ‘I've got her she's safe and sound.’”
Police say that initially, the girl’s mother felt that her daughter had left with an adult female acquaintance, but Saskatoon Police later issued a release that said the woman is not known to the family.
“We're trying to identify if there's any connection whatsoever between (the girl’s) family and the woman that had the child,” said Huisman, who believes the girl went voluntarily with the woman.
Police confirmed the woman is the same person who was shown in surveillance pictures at a business on 22nd Street, where patrol officers had recently been called.
“Officers had attended an unrelated call, at the time they didn't know any connections,” said Huisman.
“A female had been assaulted at that address, and that she had left with another child who was not properly dressed, and the age of the child and the timing of the missing person report and investigation, as well as this, the officers decided to maybe make that link if possible.”
Police say if charges are laid as a result of their investigation, new details will be released, but answers to several questions would “likely only be released in a court setting, if the case proceeds to that point.”
