Police release photos of 2 men likely travelling with B.C. mother accused of abducting her children

A Surrey mother who has been the subject of an Amber Alert because she allegedly abducted her two children might be travelling with two men she knows, RCMP in B.C. said Thursday.

The mother is believed to be travelling with her father and her boyfriend, according to Mounties. 

RCMP released photos of the two men on Friday. They say the grandfather was picked up by the mother and her boyfriend, accompanied by the two children, in Chilliwack on June 30 — the same day police say the mother was seen with her children in Krafty Kitchen and Bar in downtown Kelowna. 

The RCMP Serious Crimes Unit is investigating and has launched a dedicated tip line and email account for tips related to this Amber Alert at 604-599-7676 or [email protected]. 

The mother and the children have been the subject of an Amber Alert since Wednesday after they failed to return from a planned vacation when they were supposed to on Tuesday. 

"We are extremely concerned for the safety and well-being of the children," RCMP Cpl. Vanessa Munn said at a news conference Thursday.

On Thursday afternoon, police released two photos of the children taken from a surveillance camera at a gas station in Merritt, B.C., on July 7. 

Munn said the children were seen with their mother and the two men that day, which has become the last confirmed sighting of the children.

Police also released photos of the mother, who was spotted in Kamloops, B.C., at a grocery store on July 15.

Police said in a statement that security footage did not capture the children in the store on July 15.

RCMP also released photos of the truck and trailer they believe the mother might have been driving. 

However, in the Merritt sighting on July 7, Munn said the mother was spotted with a trailer. On Wednesday, they referenced a different trailer again — this one from a June 30 sighting — but said the truck was the same in each instance.

"We know they have been using the same truck, and they have been towing three different trailers, and we need the public to keep this in mind," said Sgt. Tammy Lobb with the Surrey RCMP in a Friday news release. 

"It's also possible the children could be spotted with either [the grandfather], [the mother's boyfriend], or their mother."

Police said anyone who sees the truck or the children is advised not to approach them and immediately call 911.

Amber Alert issued Wednesday

RCMP sent out an Amber Alert for the two children on Wednesday afternoon, the day after their father contacted police to say the mother had not returned the children to him after a vacation to the Kelowna area.

Police told CBC on Wednesday the children left Surrey with their mother for what was supposed to be a camping trip on June 28 and were supposed to be returned to their father on July 17. 

"Mom initially did have permission to take these children on a vacation. However, the circumstances surrounding that have significantly changed since then," said Munn.

Munn said the mother and her children never arrived for the planned camping trip, and their reservation was cancelled.

When police initially received the report that the children were missing on Tuesday, Munn said they did not have enough information to determine whether the children were at risk. 

She said they ultimately issued the Amber Alert because they are concerned for the mother's mental health, overall well-being and ability to care for the children