IGNACE TOWNSHIP, Ont. – Police say the mother of a 5-year-old girl who had been reported missing as well as the driver of a vehicle the mother and daughter were in when it was pulled over in northwestern Ontario have now been charged.
Ontario Provincial Police say on Saturday, shortly after 7 p.m., the Dryden OPP conducted a traffic stop on a westbound silver pickup truck on Highway 17 in Dryden.
The pickup initially attempted to evade police but eventually later stopped, police said in a news release.
Police located 5-year-old Nakina Boyer, who had been reported missing several days earlier, and her mother Jeanette Niganobe who were passengers in the pickup, police said.
After investigation, Niganobe, 47, of Mississauga First Nation was charged with abduction in contravention of a court order - take or entice.
The driver, Richard Ingram, 68, of Blind River was charged with:
- Abduction of a person under 14 - take or entice
- Flight from peace officer
- Speeding
- Fail to stop for police
- Drive vehicle or boat with cannabis readily available
Both accused appeared before the Ontario Court of Justice Video Bail in Dryden, and both were remanded into custody.
None of the allegations have been tested in court and Niganobe and Ingram are considered innocent unless proven guilty.
As reported earlier this week, the OPP came under scrutiny for its decision not to issue an Amber Alert in the case.
After the initial article was published, the girl's father also spoke out, saying his daughter was not missing, but abducted.