Tsuut’ina Nation police lead child abduction investigation, mother arrested in B.C.

The Tsuut’ina Nation Police Service (TNPS) said its investigation into an alleged  parental abduction case has resulted in one arrest.

In a Wednesday afternoon release, the TNPS said it was first called on Aug. 6 to investigate a breach of a parental court order in the community of Redwood Meadows. Police said the mother of two young children allegedly disobeyed the order, and she was charged and arrested.

The mother was then released from custody by a Justice of the Peace.

A week later, the TNPS was called again to Redwood Meadows in relation to a parental abduction involving the same mother and two children. The TNPS said the two children, who are younger than 14 years old, were not at the residence as required by the parental court order.

The TNPS said it immediately launched an investigation and located the mother and the two children in Surrey, B.C., on the same day at around 10 p.m. with help from the RCMP.

Police said the mother was arrested and charged in Surrey on Tuesday, Aug. 15 by the RCMP, who were acting on a Western Canada-wide warrant issued by the TNPS. The mother was charged with two counts of abduction in contravention of a custody order and one count of disobeying a court order.

The two children were safely relocated to Calgary from Surrey, the TNPS said.

The TNPS said it was supported by the Whiterock and Surrey Detachments of the RCMP, along with the Calgary Police Service, Alberta Sheriffs and the Missing Children Society of Canada.

Police said the case did not meet the criteria for an Amber Alert, according to Wednesday’s news release.