West Shore RCMP issued a retraction to an update they provided to local media outlets regarding a recent attempted child abduction of a 12-year-old in Langford.
On Tuesday, several media outlets reported that the attempted abduction on October 25th was determined to be a parental abduction incident after they received the information from a media relations officer at the West Shore RCMP detachment.
It turns out, that information was incorrect and relates to a different police investigation which occurred several days later, and is unrelated to the original suspicious stranger report.
West Shore RCMP released a statement retracting the update and “apologized for any confusion this may have caused.”
On October 26th, the Sooke School District sent out a letter warning parents of a possible attempted child abduction. West Shore RCMP advised the school district that a man in a black four-door vehicle approached a 12-year-old girl around 4:00 p.m. in the Bellamy Road and Goldie Avenue area of Langford.
The driver stopped his vehicle beside the young girl as she walked home from school and yelled out of the drivers window telling her to get into the vehicle.
Instead, the girl ran to safety and contacted the police.
Two days later, RCMP released a statement confirming the investigation.
The parental abduction incident that was mis-cited has since been resolved. However, the suspicious stranger investigation is still ongoing.
Police are seeking the public’s help in looking for the black four-door vehicle, which is possibly an SUV or van.
The male driver is described as:
- Caucasian
- Bald with some hair on the side
- No facial hair
- 40-50 years old
- Wearing a grey sweater
Anyone with information is asked to call the West Shore RCMP at 250-474-2264 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
