An Amber Alert has been issued after two children, Aurora and Joshuah Bolton, were allegedly abducted by their mother after last being seen in Kelowna.
Surrey RCMP issued the alert at around 3:15 p.m. PT on Wednesday, saying that the children’s mother, Verity, was possibly travelling in a Blue 2012 Dodge 2500 crew cab pickup truck with the B.C. licence plate number SJ2708.
Aurora, 8, and Joshuah, 10, were last seen at Krafty Kitchen and Bar in downtown Kelowna on June 30.
Police say anyone who sees the car, or the children, is advised not to approach them and immediately call 911.
Verity Bolton, 45, is described as a white woman standing five feet two inches tall and weighing 119 pounds. She has brown hair and brown eyes and usually has long hair tied back in a ponytail. She was last seen in black cargo pants and a black sweater.
Aurora is described as a girl standing three feet 11 inches tall, weighing 55 pounds and having brown hair and brown eyes. Her left front upper tooth is chipped, according to police, and she has small freckles on her face.
Her hair is described as being shoulder-length, slightly curled and likely braided. She was last seen wearing a blue dress with coloured flowers on it.
Her brother, Joshuah, is described as a boy standing four feet 10 inches tall and weighing 70 pounds. He also has brown hair and blue eyes, with short hair in a buzz cut that is growing out. He was last seen wearing shorts and a T-shirt.
“RCMP received a report of two children who had not been returned to their father, by their mother, after a vacation to the Kelowna, B.C. area,” reads a statement from RCMP Cpl. Vanessa Munn.
Munn says the Amber Alert was issued to locate the two children, who are from Surrey. She adds that the report from the children’s father came on July 18.
While RCMP had initially said that the children were abducted from the restaurant, Kelowna RCMP later clarified that the downtown Kelowna bar was where the children and mother were last seen and that their current whereabouts are unknown.
The original Amber Alert also stated that Joshuah had brown eyes, but RCMP later said they are blue. RCMP had also initially stated a different pickup truck model in the alert, but clarified that it was a 2012 Dodge 2500 pickup in a statement at 6:09 p.m. PT.
“The children have been in the company of their mother since June 28 when they departed Surrey,” Munn told CBC News. “They were supposed to be returned to their father on July 17, but they were not, and no one has been able to make contact with them.”
Munn said that the mother and children were planning on camping in the Kelowna area but never arrived, and their reservation was cancelled.
“RCMP are concerned for the mental health and wellness of Verity Bolton and her ability to care for the children,” she said. “We do have concerns for their wellbeing.”
