Amber Alert ‘instrumental’ in rescuing abducted two-year-old boy, city police say

A two-year-old boy was found safe and two people were arrested after he was allegedly abducted from his mother at a St. Vital home Friday morning, triggering an Amber Alert from Winnipeg police.

Winnipeg Police Service spokesman Const. Stephen Spencer said a 30-year-old woman took the boy from a home in the first 100 block of Chesterfield Avenue at about 10 a.m., after a dispute with the child’s biological mother, who was assaulted with a weapon.

Officers found the boy and a suspect near McPhillips Street and Logan Avenue at about 1:30 p.m., following a tip from someone who saw the pair.

“I can tell you that the Amber Alert was very instrumental in locating this child,” Spencer told reporters. “We had several calls from citizens, a lot of tips that really helped narrow down the area.

“It was a call from an individual in the area of McPhillips and Logan that did recognize the description of the child and suspect.”

Spencer said the boy was not injured but was taken to a hospital for an assessment.

A second suspect was arrested shortly before Spencer spoke to reporters Friday afternoon. He did not yet have details about the person or the location of the arrest.

The Amber Alert was issued shortly after 1 p.m. and sent to Manitobans’ cellphones and broadcast on TV and radio. Posts were shared widely on social media.

The alert asked the public to help police locate the boy and two women, aged 30 and 25. Police provided names and photos of the boy and the woman.

People were asked to call 911 and not approach the women if seen.

The alert said the boy was wrapped in a dark blue and light blue blanket when he was taken. It was unknown at that time where the boy and the women were going, or what vehicle they may have left in, police said.

“We had several calls from citizens, a lot of tips that really helped narrow down the area.”

The alert was cancelled after the boy was located safe.

Spencer said the boy’s mother did not suffer “major” injuries when she was assaulted.

“That really heightened how we dealt with this, and it was one of the reasons for the Amber Alert,” he said of the involvement of violence.

Spencer said the incident was not random, and the boy and the suspect he was found with are known to each other, but not related.

“Investigators are still working with the mother to try to determine why this occurred,” Spencer said.

The major crimes unit is investigating. Detectives were consulting the Crown about charges, which had not been laid as of Friday afternoon, Spencer said.

Amber Alerts are issued through the national Alert Ready emergency system, which is also used to warn Canadians about severe weather or other dangers or emergencies.

“Investigators are still working with the mother to try to determine why this occurred.”

On Feb. 5, RCMP issued a dangerous-person alert through the system while searching for a suspect and an adult victim in an alleged abduction in Pimicikamak Cree Nation in northern Manitoba.

Prior to Friday’s incident, the last Amber Alert to be issued in Manitoba was in 2022, according to Alert Ready’s website.

Criteria for Amber Alerts generally include a belief that the child has been abducted and a belief that the child is in grave danger.

chris.kitching@freepress.mb.ca