A missing 15-year-old girl who was allegedly abducted in Mississauga, Ont. and the subject of an Amber Alert on Monday has been found safe, police confirm.
The girl’s father said he received a phone call from police on Monday morning confirming her daughter had been located nearly 20 hours after she disappeared.
“Just a great big weight got lifted off my back,” Bob Langille told reporters outside the family’s home Monday morning. “It’s one of the best feelings in the world.”
Peel Regional Police said a witness saw two males exiting a silver or grey mini van after making an abrupt stop on St. Barbara Boulevard at Comiskey Crescent around 1:25 p.m. on Sunday and forced a girl into the vehicle.
The van was last seen heading south on St. Barbara Boulevard towards Derry Road West.
“We attended the area. We were unable to locate the vehicle so we immediately began a canvass, knocking on doors, looking for other witnesses and looking for video,” Const. Harinder Sohi said.
Police said the girl was reported missing by her family at 9:22 p.m. on Sunday and an Amber Alert was issued at 5:30 a.m. on Monday.
“Based on the information they provided, being clothing description and physical descriptors, we matched that up with what the witness had described to us earlier,” Sohi said.
“The night before, she had told her parents she was going to bed. When they woke up in the morning, they realized she wasn’t home and assumed she was out. Later on, when she didn’t come home, that’s when they became worried.”
READ MORE: Ontario police ‘disappointed’ in those complaining about Amber Alert
The teen’s father said her daughter is an avid social media user and keeps details about her friends secret.
“She’s on the internet a lot. She’s just hooked up with the wrong people. They’re just getting her to go, somehow, in a sneaky way,” Langille said.
Langille is unsure if her daughter was abducted or if she simply ran away.
“I don’t know. Maybe she was. Maybe she knew her abductors,” he said. “They’re still investigating that. I know she’s the type of person that doesn’t want to tell on anybody.”
The first suspect is described by police as a 24-year-old male, standing 6’2 tall, with a slim build, brown eyes and brown skin. Police said he was wearing a green long sleeve shirt, grey vest and orange turban.
The second suspect is described by police as a South Asian male with black hair.
Authorities said the suspect vehicle was captured by a surveillance camera in the area, however they have yet to identify a licence plate number.
Peel police said the teenager was previously reported missing by her parents late last year but returned home on her own accord.
“She just wants to be free and do what she wants to do,” Langille said. “We tried to give her some discipline, tried to work with her and do some of the things she wants to do, but it doesn’t seem to be working. She gets upset and just leaves.”
Police said Monday evening that they are still treating the case as an abduction investigation. A spokesperson said officers are canvassing the area.
Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact investigators with the 12 Division Criminal Investigation Bureau at (905) 453-2121, ext. 1233.
-With a report from Cindy Pom
Comments