An Amber Alert Has Been Issued For 5 Children Of A Single Family In Niagara Area
Ontarians received a pretty alarming Amber Alert on Tuesday, October 1. An emergency notification alerted the public that Niagara Police are looking for five children of the same family. The suspect is named as 49-year-old Ian MacDermid.
UPDATE: Niagara Police announced on Twitter just before 3 p.m. on Wednesday that the five children "have been located and are safe."
EARLIER: According to the alert, MacDermid is six foot zero, 280 lbs, and has blue eyes and brown hair.
The children thought to be involved are all under the age of 15, according to a tweet from Niagara Police. Police are looking for Magnus, Eska, Sovereign, Mattias, and Evalyn MacDermid.
Police describe the children as follows:
- Magnus, 14, black spiky hair, glasses and a medium build.
- Eska, 13, five-foot-one, with a medium build and long brown hair.
- Sovereign, 11, five-foot-two, heavy set with long black hair.
- Mattias, 10, four-foot-eight, with light brown caramel hair and a small/medium build.
- Evalyn, 5, three-foot-eight, with long black hair, and a medium build.
A Niagara Police release states that a child protection investigation by Family and Children Services Niagara identified concerns over the welfare and safety of the children. The children have now been reported as missing to the NRPS.The NRPS investigation revealed that between September 19 and 25, the children were taken from the family home in Jordan by their father Ian MacDermid (49 years old). Their current whereabouts are unknown. The children are subject to a temporary custody order and their father is in contravention of that order by failing to return them.It's thought MacDermid may be operating a gold or beige coloured pick-up truck.
The alert was issued shortly before 5 p.m. on Tuesday evening.*
Jordan, where MacDermid and the children were last seen, is located near St. Catharines, Ontario, around 50 kilometres east of Hamilton.
Amber Alerts have been a contentious topic in Ontario — and, indeed, Canada — in recent times. Most notably, recent alerts have been met with anger from some people irritated at being disturbed by the emergency notification system.
That backlash even led to Ontario Provincial Police Sergeant Kerry Schmidt posting a lengthy social media video in the summer explaining how people can avoid being repeatedly bothered by alerts.
Anyone who may have information or know the whereabouts of MacDermid or the children is asked to call their local police. To leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers, call 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or visit Crime Stoppers of Niagara online.
*This article has been updated and will continue to be updated as more information becomes available.
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