Found Safe Canada - O’Driscoll-Zak sisters, 2 & 5, abduction by aunt & grandmother, Cochrane, 12 Mar 2021

[everybodhi]

(Snipped)
If formal abduction charges haven’t yet been filed against the grandmother and aunt, it’s getting ridiculous. What sort of precedent is this setting for others in the future who disagree with any court order for any reason..... run and hide?

I don’t know much about Canadian law, I lived in Montreal a couple years but never thought about the laws there, outside of immigration law.
If there’s no warrant or charge for abducting these girls, is there something like a BOLO?
Every officer needs to know to be on the lookout in case they sight one or both of these women.
Then what? Does every officer know the questions to be asked to determine if it’s all ok?
What if they refuse to answer?
Can they then be detained on probable cause with no charges and no warrant?
I just don’t get it, what answer could possibly make it ok to abduct two minors from the court ordered custodial parent?
Is it that they could prove, to an officer on the side of the road, that they are saving the children from sexual abuse when they couldn’t prove it before a judge in a court of law?

 

[Tealgrove]

The bottom line is that all allegations of sexual abuse against the father regarding his two youngest daughters were investigated. There is no evidence, beyond the mother's wild imaginings, to support the false allegations.

Obviously the mother thinks that she knows best, and that everyone who investigated the allegations is wrong. One would expect that a mother would be relieved and thankful that her worst fears were unfounded. That's not the case here.

The mother seems to want a finding that her daughters were sexually abused. It's beyond me why any woman would want to attach that stigma to her children. Not only does she want her children to go through life as victims of sexual abuse, but she wants the entire world to know this. What can she possibly be thinking! If only she would put the well being of her children ahead of her selfish goals.

This! 1,000 times this!

It is not about the children and never was. It's about, IMO, an unstable living situation that has been created by a Mother to hurt and destroy a Father. It's about a Mother who is all about herself.

MOO

ETA: I would not rule out Munchausen by Proxy either. I'm getting a bit of that vibe.

 

[Seattle1]

Family Court rightfully protects the privacy of the children. However, the appeal process is public information and there are three court documents linked in this thread.

To my knowledge, the most recent link includes a reference to the Feb 2021 sexual abuse allegation. It's possible there were prior allegations but they are not available to post /link to a WS-approved source.

ETA: add 2020 and 2021 court links
https://www.canlii.org/en/ab/abca/doc/2020/2020abca431/2020abca431.html
https://www.canlii.org/en/ab/abqb/doc/2021/2021abqb80/2021abqb80.html
https://www.canlii.org/en/ab/abca/doc/2021/2021abca131/2021abca131.html?resultIndex=1

 

[otto]

Family Court rightfully protects the privacy of the children. However, the appeal process is public information and there are three court documents linked in this thread.

To my knowledge, the most recent link includes a reference to the Feb 2021 sexual abuse allegation. It's possible there were prior allegations but they are not available to post /link to WS approved source.

The appeal was written by the mother's lawyers, Diann Castle and Tanya Kelm. They knew that the document would be public. They intentionally published information about sexual abuse allegations, presumably with the idea what it would sway public opinion and court decisions. Instead, the only result is that the privacy of minor children has been severely compromised.

I'm disgusted that any lawyer with 30+ years of experience would deliberately compromise young children by publishing unfounded sexual abuse allegations with no apparent goal beyond escalating custody conflict.

 

[MistyWaters]

I don’t know much about Canadian law, I lived in Montreal a couple years but never thought about the laws there, outside of immigration law.
If there’s no warrant or charge for abducting these girls, is there something like a BOLO?
Every officer needs to know to be on the lookout in case they sight one or both of these women.
Then what? Does every officer know the questions to be asked to determine if it’s all ok?
What if they refuse to answer?
Can they then be detained on probable cause with no charges and no warrant?
I just don’t get it, what answer could possibly make it ok to abduct two minors from the court ordered custodial parent?
Is it that they could prove, to an officer on the side of the road, that they are saving the children from sexual abuse when they couldn’t prove it before a judge in a court of law?

Yeah that’s what doesn’t make sense to me. Becoming a missing person is not against the law, anyone is free to walk away from their life and not inform their relatives if they choose to. So especially if the four are out of province and abduction charges haven’t been filed, as a result no warrant would’ve been issued so I’m quite sure another police force would have no jurisdiction whatsoever.

 

[MistyWaters]

Can you link to the details of the August allegations of sexual abuse?
I can only find the mother’s allegations that the children were in distress over visitations, I cannot find any reference to sexual abuse before February 2021.
TIA

The dad did mention two allegations of sexual abuse during his interview on the podcast, linked on this thread a couple of pages back. IIRC he said charges were dropped because he had no access during the times the allegations were said to have taken place.

If so, that’s about as malicious as it gets, refusing the dad access to his children but then concocting a story he had access in order for there to be an opportunity to allege sexual abuse. JMO

 

[otto]

Yeah that’s what doesn’t make sense to me. Becoming a missing person is not against the law, anyone is free to walk away from their life and not inform their relatives if they choose to. So especially if the four are out of province and abduction charges haven’t been filed, as a result no warrant would’ve been issued so I’m quite sure another police force would have no jurisdiction whatsoever.

I checked the Alberta RCMP website and do not see any arrest warrants for the abductors. The children are not listed on the missing children page.

Canada's Missing | Search Canada's Missing

This is the only place where they are mentioned

Cochrane RCMP request assistance to locate two children and two adults – Update 3 – Still investigating | Royal Canadian Mounted Police

 

[CDN.Epona]

Missing Cochrane girls have been located

 

[September23]

Missing Cochrane girls have been located

Yes, located in the Columbia Valley, BC. They are now in Childrens Services.

 

[Lexiintoronto]

Missing Cochrane girls have been located

Thank you, I was so happy to see this post!

From the RCMP (bbm):

“The Alberta RCMP Serious Crimes Branch advise that both 5-year-old Leonine O'Driscoll-Zak and 2-year-old Wyatt O'Driscoll-Zak were located safe yesterday evening in the Columbia Valley, B.C.

The children are being cared for by Children Services.

No further details are being provided at this time. Additional information is anticipated to be provided later.
Cochrane RCMP request assistance to locate two children and two adults – Update 4 – Children located | Royal Canadian Mounted Police

I’m not local, but from Google maps it looks as though they were about 10 hours away from where they were abducted.

 

[Lyanna]

Its so good to hear these 2 little girls have been found.

 

[Seattle1]

Thank you, I was so happy to see this post!

From the RCMP (bbm):

“The Alberta RCMP Serious Crimes Branch advise that both 5-year-old Leonine O'Driscoll-Zak and 2-year-old Wyatt O'Driscoll-Zak were located safe yesterday evening in the Columbia Valley, B.C.

The children are being cared for by Children Services.

No further details are being provided at this time. Additional information is anticipated to be provided later.
Cochrane RCMP request assistance to locate two children and two adults – Update 4 – Children located | Royal Canadian Mounted Police

I’m not local, but from Google maps it looks as though they were about 10 hours away from where they were abducted.
View attachment 292845

Yup -- pretty close to the US Border!

 

[MistyWaters]

Missing Cochrane girls have been located

Absolutely awesome! Either the family decided enough was enough or the RCMP had their ear to the ground and found them. What a relief this news must be to everyone who wasn’t involved in the abduction including the dad!

 

[Seattle1]

If so, that’s about as malicious as it gets, refusing the dad access to his children but then concocting a story he had access in order for there to be an opportunity to allege sexual abuse. JMO

^^rsbm

If we pay attention to the direct quote from the Judge/case manager dealing with JOZ and CMZ (without the Court revealing all the private details) the Judge's statements are both clear and understandable:

However, I find that Jacqueline has significantly contributed to this trauma. I would even say she ignited it, and now it is aflame.

To ensure the greatest possible protection of the Children's physical, psychological and emotional safety and considering their needs and circumstances, they need to be reunified with their father, and their mother needs to stop her obstructive, intrusive poisonous behaviour.

IMO, serious words for serious charges...

2021-02-01
https://www.canlii.org/en/ab/abqb/doc/2021/2021abqb80/2021abqb80.html

 

[MistyWaters]

Interesting, no word at all about the two adults - the grandmother and aunt - is mentioned in the RCMP update.

Cochrane RCMP request assistance to locate two children and two adults – Update 4 – Children located | Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Cochrane RCMP request assistance to locate two children and two adults – Update 4 – Children located
April 15, 2021
Cochrane, Alberta

News release

The Alberta RCMP Serious Crimes Branch advise that both 5-year-old Leonine O'Driscoll-Zak and 2-year-old Wyatt O'Driscoll-Zak were located safe yesterday evening in the Columbia Valley, B.C.

The children are being cared for by Children Services.

No further details are being provided at this time. Additional information is anticipated to be provided later.

 

[CDN.Epona]

T
I’m not local, but from Google maps it looks as though they were about 10 hours away from where they were abducted.
View attachment 292845

"The Columbia Valley" is an area closer to Alberta, about 250km from Cochrane, Invermere is a town there. "Columbia Valley" (without "the" in front) is what's shown on your map - a community center by that name, but is not where they were found.

 

[MistyWaters]

"The Columbia Valley" is an area closer to Alberta, about 250km from Cochrane, Invermere is a town there. "Columbia Valley" (without "the" in front) is what's shown on your map - a community center by that name, but is not where they were found.

Yes that’s right, Columbia Valley is in the area of Radium/Invermere BC, only a hop-skip and a jump, less than 3 hours west of Calgary. It’s an extremely popular tourist area especially appealing to Albertans and for that reason many own recreational property there.

Columbia Valley BC | Invermere BC | Travel & Events Guide

 

[cocomod]

I pray that these children will receive much needed counseling and therapy to undo all of the damage done by a verdictive woman! She was not acting as a mother when she did these things! IMVHO of course.

 

[Lexiintoronto]

"The Columbia Valley" is an area closer to Alberta, about 250km from Cochrane, Invermere is a town there. "Columbia Valley" (without "the" in front) is what's shown on your map - a community center by that name, but is not where they were found.

Thank you for clarifying. Can you map where they were found? (General location?)

The abductors crossed the provincial border, I wonder if that increases the severity of charges they may face.

 

[Lexiintoronto]

Yup -- pretty close to the US Border!

No—sorry, wrong location!