Amber alert cancelled after Markham girl, 5, found safe
Posted March 19, 2019 4:15 pm.
Last Updated March 20, 2019 12:22 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
An Amber Alert has been cancelled after York police say a five-year-old girl, who was allegedly abducted by her father in Markham, has been found safe
The 25-year-old father was arrested and later released on Tuesday night, York regional police told 680 NEWS.
Police said there was no evidence to support a criminal charge.
The Amber Alert was issued Tuesday afternoon after the father allegedly picked up his daughter from her Armadale Public School classroom, police say. They left in a mini-van cab, before switching to a second vehicle.
It’s believed the father was not to have contact with the little girl, but the school was not aware of the restriction.
“At the point that the father had signed her out, there was no information that the school was aware of that he was not to have access to her,” said Const. Laura Nicolle. “So it appears as though he came and picked up the child, from the schools standpoint, legitimately and then we started to see some of these concerns and at that point police got involved.”
Police were alerted by school staff around 3 p.m. after they realized he was not supposed to have access to his daughter. Const. Laura Nicolle said the father was reportedly still on a list to be able to pick up his daughter.
Nicolle says a concerned citizen who was working at a business on Fairburn Drive who had been following the story, saw the photos of the individuals and believed he saw them.
He contacted police right away and officers rushed to the scene where the father and daughter were found.
“We have to right now look at what exactly happened and determine if an offence has even taken place,” says Nicolle. “If this was a case a parent believing they were legitimate in picking up the child – we have to investigate that further and figure out exactly what we’re working with.”
Beck Taxi confirmed it was one of their cabs that was used by the father Tuesday afternoon. They were able to identify the vehicle police were looking for and connect the driver with investigators.
