Woman with dementia abducted from gas station found

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This article was published 04/06/2022 (1566 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A 63-year-old woman with dementia who was abducted from a gas station near the west Perimeter Highway just before 2 a.m. Saturday has been found safe, but the suspect in the case is still at large.

Sandra McLaughlin was sitting in the rear of a family member’s vehicle at the DOMO filling station at 3685 Portage Ave., when the family member stopped to get fuel.

In gas station surveillance video Winnipeg Police Service Const. Jay Murray described as “unnerving,” a man walks up to the front passenger side of the blue Jeep Patriot, gets in and then hops over the console to the driver’s seat. McLaughlin’s family member is seen running after the vehicle as the suspect peels off from the gas pumps.

“Our primary goal is her safe return, everything else is second to that,” Murray said, addressing the suspect directly at a rare Saturday morning press conference.

Shortly after the press conference, the Winnipeg Police Service issued an emergency alert to request the public’s help in the search for McLaughlin and the missing vehicle.

At 11:14 a.m., soon after the emergency alert, a 911 caller alerted police after they spotted what they believed to be the stolen Jeep in Charleswood.

Officers went to the area immediately and found it was a different vehicle, and continued patrolling nearby.

At 11:50 a.m., general patrol police spotted the stolen 2012 blue Jeep Patriot abandoned in Glendale, south of the gas station.

Inside the abandoned Jeep they found McLaughlin alone and unharmed physically.

However, police have not yet made any arrests.

Police describe the suspect as 6-0 with dark hair. He was wearing a grey jacket, dark-coloured shorts, a hoodie with white writing, sandals and white gloves at the time. Investigators ask anyone with information on the abduction and wider case to call the major crimes unit at 204-986-6219 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 204-786-8477.

Murray said it’s unclear at this point why the vehicle was stolen and whether the suspect was aware the vulnerable woman was in the vehicle.

“It’s an ununusual incident, we have nothing to indicate these parties know each other, at this point it appears to be a completely random incident — a crime of opportunity,” Murray said.

The spokesman said police were pulling surveillance tape from the surrounding area and traffic cameras as part of their investigation.

Asked where the suspect came from, Murray said: “That’s going to form part of the investigation going forward, how this individual got there, where they had come from. We believe they approached the vehicle from the immediate area on foot, we can’t conclude the possibility they were dropped off or arrived there in a vehicle.”

At this point, it’s not confirmed whether the suspect would face abduction-related charges.

“There’s a variety of charges this individual could face, I think it will be largely dependent on what we learn during the course of this investigation. If there’s evidence to suggest he knew she was in the back of that vehicle, certainly charges could be upgraded. It also depends on the outcome of this investigation,” Murray said.

The vehicle was last spotted driving west on Portage Avenue toward the west Perimeter Highway.

Murray said police, who dedicated significant resources to the search including major crimes detectives and the missing persons unit, were asking everyone in southwestern Manitoba to be on alert for the vehicle and McLaughlin. Manitoba RCMP, who handle the majority of rural policing in the province, were also called in to assist.

McLaughlin’s medical condition made her abduction particularly concerning.

“It’s something that we’re very considerate of, while this investigation is proceeding, there’s a strong likelihood that she’s not aware of what’s occurred, the seriousness of what has transpired,” Murray said at the press conference.

erik.pindera@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @erik_pindera