Autistic girl was in stolen vehicle

Six-year-old found safe, 14 hours after Saskatchewan theft

NORTH BATTLEFORD, Sask. — A Saskatchewan mother says words cannot describe the relief she feels after being reunited with her daughter who police say was taken when she was left in the back of a running SUV.

An Amber Alert was issued Sunday night after police say sixyear-old Emma O’Keeffe was left in the back of her parents’ running Mercedes and it was stolen from outside a strip mall in North Battleford.

The child, who is autistic, epileptic and non-verbal, was found almost 14 hours later still inside the SUV, which had been left about two kilometres from where it had been taken and was noticed by some workers who called 911.

“Words cannot express our emotions right now,” mother Alison O’Keeffe said in a Facebook post. “Emma is safe at home sleeping soundly, peacefully, surrounded by all the love in the world.”

RCMP Cpl. Rob King said officers have yet to identify any suspects in the car theft.

“We don’t know what happened from when the car was taken until when the car was found,” King said.

Emma needs medication to control her condition. She was found conscious and taken to hospital, where she was examined and released.

King said it took a while to find the vehicle partly because it was tucked away in bushes.

Conditions in North Battleford also weren’t ideal on Sunday night.

Ryan Bater, the city’s mayor, said it was very dark outside and snow impeded visibility.

Temperatures hovered around the freezing point and the city lost power for a brief period just after midnight.

O’Keeffe thanked everyone who looked for her daughter.