Surrey RCMP urge public to remain vigilant as Amber Alert for siblings enters 2nd week

Update: The two children who were the subject of a July 19 Amber Alert have been found safe. 

As the Amber Alert for two B.C. siblings who were allegedly abducted by their mother enters a second week, police say they’re focusing their search within the province while pursuing tips from Alberta and Saskatchewan.

The children were supposed to be returned to their father’s home in Surrey on July 17, following a scheduled trip to the Okanagan with their mother.

An Amber Alert for the siblings was launched two days later—exactly three weeks after the pair left for the camping vacation with their mother.

The fact that the mother had access to her children in the weeks before they were reported missing has made it challenging to put together a timeline for where the siblings were during that time, according to Cpl. Vanessa Munn of Surrey RCMP.

Speaking to CTV Morning Live on Wednesday, day eight of the search, Munn said there’s no evidence to suggest the siblings have left the province.

“We have received some tips from Alberta and Saskatchewan and we’re actively following up on all of them, but at this time none of those tips have been substantiated,” said Munn.

She says the search efforts are mainly focused on B.C.’s Interior and the area around Kamloops—the city where the mother was last spotted at a grocery store on July 15.

“Part of the concerning nature of this is the fact that we have actually not seen the children on video since July 7,” Munn said, referring to the last confirmed sighting of the siblings at a gas station in Merrit.

The suspect and children are believed to be with the mother's boyfriend and father. 

Investigators believe the alleged abduction was pre-planned, and that the children have been moved “off the grid.”

Many of the tips police have received so far are from people with previous history with the parties involved, according to Munn.

“All the information we can get is truly appreciated and it really does help us move forward with the investigation,” she said Wednesday.

“It’s absolutely concerning that as this does continue to go on… people are seeing these photos everyday and they may become less vigilant—they’re not looking out for the children or the vehicles as much,” said Munn.

However, in a news release Wednesday afternoon, Surrey RCMP said it will not be providing updates on a daily basis, and instead issuing releases only on a “needed basis” as the investigation continues. 

The update did not have any new information, but said that investigators are working “around the clock” to locate the children. 

On Tuesday, family of the siblings issued a statement through Surrey RCMP.

“They are so much more than ‘missing children,’ more than a few photos,” reads the message. “Their home, routine, friends, best friends, many cousins, aunties, uncles and grandparents miss them more than can be expressed.”

If you have the children in “direct view,” Mounties say to call 911.

With files from CTV News Vancouver's Kaija Jussinoja