The mayor of Bowden says last week’s child abduction case has been a “wake-up call” to all parents in the community.
A seven-year-old girl, who has since been found, was riding her bike through town with her dog on Thursday night. Police believe that between 6 and 6:15 p.m., a man drove up and forcibly put both her and the dog into the truck, throwing her bike into the box of the truck before heading south out of Bowden on Hwy 2A.
“I was quite shocked,” said Mayor Cody Berggren of the incident. “We like to think we have a very safe community where you don’t have to have quite the vigilance that you do in the city with your children.
“But I guess that was a wake-up call for us — that you just never know and you just need to be very careful with your kids and make sure they’re watched at all times.”
The suspect dropped the girl off on a gravel road about eight km northwest of Bowden around 8 p.m. that day and she walked to a nearby farm house.
“We’re very glad that the girl was found and is safe,” Berggren said. “That’s a relief for sure.”
Until the culprit is apprehended, the town of about 1,200 will remain on high alert and will be increasingly aware of any strangers or suspicious behaviour, he said.
“We’d certainly like to see the person responsible be found and brought to justice,” Berggren said.
He also recommended parents encourage their children to use the “buddy system” and always travel with friends.
Although the abduction is believed to have occurred after school hours around 19th Avenue between 22nd and 23rd Streets, Chinook’s Edge School Division No. 73 superintendent Kurt Sacher said supervision was heightened at Bowden Grandview School the day after the abduction.
“They’re always quite vigilant with their supervision relative to students on the playground, but in light of what had occurred . . . they would have been extra careful and more cautious,” he said.
Sacher said the division sent students from all 42 schools in the jurisdiction home with letters on Friday, as was advised by the RCMP.
The letter outlined what happened and what kind of precautions parents should take, such as ensuring children always travel in groups and never alone, how to talk to children about the incident, to be more aware of their surroundings and to report anyone suspicious to the RCMP.
“Our understanding is that the steps we are taking are appropriate under the circumstances,” Sacher said, adding they’re remaining in close contact with the RCMP.
Olds RCMP and the Red Deer major crimes unit are investigating.
The girl’s bicycle was recovered north of Carstairs on Saturday and police think the man may have travelled Olds before stopping north of Carstairs.
The suspect is described as having a thin build, an olive or darker coloured complexion, short spiked black hair, facial hair stubble and may have an accent.
The vehicle is described as being a full sized pickup truck with four full-sized doors, shinny metallic grey or gold paint and a dark interior.
Police are asking anyone with information to call Olds RCMP at 403-556-3323 or, if you wish to remain anonymous, call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
ptrotter@www.reddeeradvocate.com