Man, 19, charged with abduction after being found with his sister, 8

Calgary police say they were close to launching an Amber Alert for a missing eight-year-old girl, when RCMP in B.C. located her in a car with her 19-year-old brother Wednesday night.

Staff Sgt. Rob Davidson of the Calgary police domestic conflict unit said police were called to the family’s home in Greenview early Wednesday morning after the parents woke up to find their son, their daughter and the family vehicle all missing.

“Late in the day, we did determine that we believed the child was at imminent risk of harm, and ironically at the same time as we were preparing for an Amber Alert, and truly drafting that, is when we located the vehicle,” said Davidson.

The car was found just outside Hope, B.C., and the 19-year-old was taken into custody near Abbotsford.

The man faces one count of abduction of a child under 14, and Davidson said more charges are pending. The girl was unharmed when police found her.

Davidson said the suspect is not known to police, and there is no history of domestic conflict within the family. Investigators are still trying to determine the motivation for the incident.

“The family’s reporting that there’s normal household relationships going on, and there were no fights or arguments leading up to this,” he said.

Davidson said as police tracked the pair’s path further west into B.C., they became increasingly concerned about locating the girl. He added the teen and the child did have their passports with them.

“The lack of motivation, the lack of planning, the lack of history, the lack of contact with the family — all those things (were) really starting to make us believe that this person was not able to safely care for an eight-year-old,” he said.

Calgary police say they will not be releasing the names of the individuals involved.

The 19-year-old will be brought back to Alberta by police later this week.