Two hours after an Amber Alert was issued for two-year-old Hailey Dunbar-Blanchette of Blairmore, Alta., on Monday, the alert was issued in B.C., even though Blairmore is mere minutes from the provincial boundary.
It鈥檚 highly unlikely earlier notification in B.C. could have helped in this case 鈥� the child was found dead near Blairmore on Tuesday. But it鈥檚 still disturbing that when minutes count in situations such as child abductions, a line on a map can delay the spread of information that could potentially save a life.
After receiving a call from family members about a sudden death, RCMP found the body of Terry Blanchette, the toddler鈥檚 father, about 11 a.m. Monday. It鈥檚 not clear when they realized Hailey was missing, but the girl鈥檚 mother, Cheyenne Dunbar, was in Edmonton following the investigation through a local newspaper鈥檚 website. She wrote about her frantic concern for her daughter鈥檚 welfare at 1:26 p.m., and the Amber Alert was issued in Alberta at 2:14 p.m.
It took another two hours for the alert to be issued in B.C., even though Sparwood, for example, is only 40 kilometres west of Blairmore, about the same distance as Victoria to Sooke.
Police found Hailey鈥檚 body in a rural area near Blairmore Tuesday, and a Blairmore man has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder.
Social media quickly spread news of the girl鈥檚 disappearance, so many southeast B.C. residents were probably aware of it before the Amber Alert reached their area, but notification from police carries weight and authority.
It should be automatic that an alert from one jurisdiction is issued simultaneously in adjoining areas. A person fleeing the scene of a crime is likely to pay little heed to a provincial boundary. Neither should an Amber Alert.
