Five Children at Center of Amber Alert in Canada Are Found Safe: Reports

From the top left: Ian MacDermid, 49, Magnus, 14, Eska, 13, Mattias, 10, Evalyn, 5, Sovereign, 11. Niagara Regional Police

The five children who were at the center of an Amber Alert in Canada were found safe, said the Niagara Regional Police.

They apparently went missing in the Niagara Region on Oct. 1. The Niagara Region in Ontario, Canada, is located near the U.S.-Canada border between Toronto and Buffalo, New York.

According to CTV News, officials said the children “appear to be in good health and are currently being cared for.”

On Wednesday, police said they obtained information about their father’s whereabouts. He was accused of abducting the children.

“The ensuing investigation of this information led to the discovery that (the father) was operating a red Toyota Camry,” investigators told CTV, adding that “further investigative steps taken on Oct. 2 led investigators to an address in Ridgeway, where the vehicle was located parked in the yard of a rental cottage.”

Police said they were able to find the missing brothers and sisters.

“The Niagara Regional Police would like to thank the community for their assistance in bringing this to a peaceful and safe resolution,” officials told the news outlet.

The police statement didn’t reveal if the father was arrested or if he will face charges.

Earlier Update

The Niagara Regional Police in Canada issued an Amber Alert after five children were apparently abducted from the Niagara Region on Tuesday, Oct. 1.

A map shows the location of the Niagara Region near the U.S.-Canada border. Google Maps

According to City News, the five children are named as Magnus, 14, Eska, 13, Sovereign, 11, Mattias, 10, and Evalyn, 5.

They are believed to be with their father, Ian MacDermid, and police said that they were reported missing in the past 24 hours by local family and child services.

MacDermid is described as six feet tall, 280 pounds, blue eyes, and brown hair. He was seen driving a gold or beige pickup truck and was possibly going to Toronto.

Officials said the children were taken from their home in Jordan, Ontario, between Sept. 19 and Sept. 25, according to Yahoo Canada.

The five kids are subject to a temporary custody order after their father failed to return them home, officials said.

Police said that they are concerned about the wellbeing of the children.

Those with information about the case are asked to call 911 or their local police department.

Missing Children

There were 424,066 missing children reported in the FBI’s National Crime Information Center in 2018, according to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). Under federal law, when a child is reported missing to law enforcement they must be entered into the database. In 2017, there were 464,324 entries.

“This number represents reports of missing children. That means if a child runs away multiple times in a year, each instance would be entered into NCIC separately and counted in the yearly total. Likewise, if an entry is withdrawn and amended or updated, that would also be reflected in the total,” the center notes on its website.

“Unfortunately, since many children are never reported missing, there is no reliable way to determine the total number of children who are actually missing in the U.S.,” NCMEC (National Center for Missing & Exploited Children) added.

Reve Walsh and John Walsh speak during The National Center For Missing And Exploited Children, the Fraternal Order of the Police and the Justice Department’s 16th Annual Congressional Breakfast at The Liaison Capitol Hill Hotel in Washington on May 18, 2011. Kris Connor/Getty Images

In 2018, the center said it assisted officers and families with the cases of more than 25,000 missing children. In those cases, 92 percent were endangered runaways, and 4 percent were family abductions.

The center said that it participates in the Amber Alert Program, which is a voluntary partnership between numerous entities including broadcasters, transportation agencies, and law enforcement agencies. The Amber Alert Program issues urgent bulletins in the most serious child abduction cases.

According to the NCMEC, to date, 941 children have been successfully recovered as a result of the Amber Alert Program.

The center notes that of the more than 23,500 runaways reported in 2018, about one in seven were likely victims of child sex trafficking.