Update 9am:
Good news to report in that Thunder Bay police have found a missing woman and her two young daughters safe.
Police told us this morning they were searching for 34 year old Elizabeth Bouchard, her 3-year old daughter Kalieah Bouchard, and Mckayla Bouchard-Huston, age 6, who were last seen Saturday evening at around 6 o’clock in the Black Bay Road area.
Police have not given us any other details.
However, many people wonder why an amber alert is not issued. Criteria for issuing an AMBER Alert may vary from province to province, but basic requirements include:
- The child is under the age of 18;
- A belief that the child has been abducted;
- A belief that the child is in grave danger;
- Information is available that may help locate the child and/or the abductor (e.g., description of the child, the suspect, or the vehicle driven by the abductor); and
- That the alert be issued within a reasonable amount of time from the moment of the abduction.
The history of the Amber alert goes back to 1996. Missingkids.ca says it was in that year that 9-year old Amber Hagerman was kidnapped from Arlington, Texas, and found brutally murdered. The crime deeply affected her community, and in response, this system was created to better coordinate efforts between law enforcement and media in getting critical information to the community as quickly as possible.
