Amber Alert cancelled after Winnipeg toddler ‘taken’ from home is found safe

The Winnipeg Police Service is crediting an Amber Alert and calls from the public for safely locating a two-year-old child who they alleged was taken from his home on Friday morning.

The boy was later found unharmed and two suspects have since been taken into custody.

Police say the boy was taken from a home near St. Vital Centre at around 10:09 a.m. “following a dispute with his biological mother.”

Spokesperson Const. Stephen Spencer said there was “some violence” involved, which heightened the police response.

“I can tell you that the suspects and the child are not family. So they are known to each other. How that is, I think we’re still trying to determine how long they’ve known each other and what their relationship is,” said Spencer.

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“There was a weapon involved. As far as the details and that, I can’t go into that at this time.”

An Amber Alert was issued at around 1 p.m., with a description of the child and two suspects.

Spencer said they received several calls and tips from citizens, which helped police narrow down an area for their search. He described the Amber Alert as “instrumental” in finding the child.

“It was a call from an individual in the area of McPhillips (Street) and Logan (Avenue) that did recognize the description of the child and the suspect,” he said.

“When that call came in, officers knew right away that, ‘OK, this is going to be who we’re looking for.'”

Spencer said the boy and suspect were not found in a vehicle, but could not confirm if they were located in a business or other building.

He said the second suspect has since been taken into custody as well.

The child was unharmed but assessed in hospital.

Spencer said the investigation is in its early stages and they are still interviewing the mother to determine what happened.

“Two individuals are in custody and again because there’s been no charges laid at this point and it’s just into the investigation now I can’t name those individuals,” he added.