Amber Alert in northern B.C. cancelled, suspect arrested in Ontario, RCMP say

The RCMP logo is pictured on a police cruiser. (File photo)

An inter-provincial Amber Alert issued in B.C. on Saturday has ended with an arrest in Ontario, according to RCMP.

The alert pertained to two children, one four years old and the other 10 months, who police believed had been abducted by their 36-year-old father in Fort St. John, B.C. on Thursday.

The children's 23-year-old mother was also taken from the home against her will, police alleged.

First issued in B.C. late Saturday morning, the alert was extended to the provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, but was cancelled shortly before 4 p.m., Pacific Time.

In a news release Saturday afternoon, B.C. RCMP said they believed the suspect was headed east, possibly to Ontario.

"B.C. RCMP shared this information with police in neighbouring jurisdictions across the country, who also began their own search efforts," police said in the release.

"By 3:30 p.m. PT (6:30 p.m. ET) today, the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) confirmed that they had located the vehicle and the four individuals in Kenora, Ont., just east of Manitoba. The man was taken into custody. The mother and her two children are safe and receiving support."

B.C. Mounties thanked police agencies from other provinces for their assistance and said they would be working with OPP to further the investigation and recommend charges in the case.

CTV News has removed the names of the parties involved in the incident from this story now that the alert has been cancelled. 

Amber Alerts are intended for "only for the most serious, time-critical child abduction cases," according to the B.C. RCMP. 

The RCMP says they are not typically issued in cases involving suspected parental abductions, "except in life-threatening situations."

Amber Alerts are issued only when all of following criteria are met, according to police:

• The victim is under the age of 18
• Police have reasonable grounds to believe that the victim has been abducted
• Police have reasonable grounds to believe the victim is in imminent danger
• Police have obtained enough descriptive information about the victim, abductor and/or the vehicle involved
• Police believe that the alert can be issued in a time frame that will provide a reasonable expectation that the child can be returned or the abductor apprehended