Police in Edmonton say that two women tried to abduct a 12-year-old boy

Edmonton police are seeking the public’s help in identifying two women wanted in connection with an alleged attempted child abduction in the southeast area of the city last week.

A 12-year-old boy was walking home on 38 Avenue near 55th Street at approximately 7:30 p.m on June 6 when he was approached by two women in a Sprinter-style cargo van, the Edmonton Police Service said in a release.

“The van was reportedly occupied by two females, one of whom got out of the van and told the youth to get in,” police said. “The youth fled home, and the incident was reported to police.”

The woman who allegedly spoke to the boy was described as being white with a medium build and shoulder-length brown hair, police said. The suspect, who is roughly 30 years old, was wearing a black dress.

Police did not offer a description of the other woman. The vehicle involved is described as a tall “Amazon”-style black or dark grey van.

Investigators are asking anyone with information about the women or the van to call police or Crime Stoppers.

Missing Children

There were 34,437 reports of missing children in Canada in 2023, according to statistics from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

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While the majority of missing children cases each year are runaways, abductions do happen, the RCMP said. Nearly 26,000 of the missing children cases in 2023 were determined to be runaways, 124 cases were linked to parental abductions, and 24 were stranger abductions.

Fifty-six percent of 2023 cases were closed within 24 hours, and 90 percent were closed within a week, the RCMP said.

“If your child disappears or is abducted, call 9-1-1 immediately,” the RCMP said. “There is no minimum period of time required before reporting a child missing.”

The best way to prevent stranger abductions is for parents to talk to their children about prevention strategies, police said.

From a young age, children should be taught the “golden safety rule”: Don’t go anywhere, with anyone, without the parent’s or caregiver’s permission, Child Safe Canada recommends.

Children should be taught that it is not normal for unknown adults to ask them for help and that it can be dangerous to approach a vehicle when a driver stops or slows near them, the site says, adding that children should always travel in groups of two or more.