The two children who were the subjects of a province-wide Amber Alert on July 19th have been reunited with their father after they were found safe on Saturday evening.
On the weekend, the BC RCMP Serious Crime Unit found a rural property they believed the children were being held at just outside Edson, Alberta through inter-provincial investigative efforts.
On July 29th at around 7:20 p.m. — 11 days after the Amber Alert was issued — members of the Alberta RCMP Emergency Response Team entered the property where they believed the children were being held and found three adults with the missing kids.
Verity Bolton and her 53-year-old boyfriend, Abraxas Glazov, were located and arrested while a third adult, whose identity has not been revealed, was detained.
The children were taken to a nearby Alberta RCMP detachment where their father was waiting.
On Sunday, July 30th, a full search of the property the children were being held got underway and police charged Verity Bolton with two counts of abduction in contravention of a custody order.
Scherbing-Glazov was also formally charged with two counts of abduction of a person under the age of 14.
Given that they were arrested in Alberta RCMP’s jurisdiction, they will remain in their custody until their next court appearance.
RCMP have not revealed whether or not Verity Bolton’s father, 74-year-old Robert Bolton, has been located or if he will face charges at this time.
While the children were taken by their mother on June 28th, just over one month before they were returned to their father, the Amber Alert was only activated 11 days before they were found. The alert was issued after Verity Bolton failed to return the children to their father.
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Police say they received 435 tips from several provinces while the Amber Alert was in effect. Those tips led to discoveries and leads that eventually led police to find the children and apprehend their mother and her partner.
Police say the media, members of the public as well as policing and community partners are the reason they were able to locate the kids safely.
“Our investigators remained open to all possibilities at every stage of the Amber Alert, and worked diligently around the clock to advance the investigation and bring these children home safely,” Surrey RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Vanessa Munn said in the statement.
“The children have been reunited with their family, who are extremely grateful. This is the outcome we have all been hoping for.”
With the matter now being before the courts, Surrey RCMP say that they will not be able to release any further details on the arrests or the children, who are now out of harm’s way.
