Police say the two-year-old girl was abducted from this home in Crowsnest Pass, Alta. (Crowsnest Pass Herald)

Amber Alert for 2-year-old girl expanded to three provinces

CTVNews.ca Staff, Published Monday, September 14, 2015 4:34PM EDT , Last Updated Monday, September 14, 2015 6:16PM EDT, Source

RCMP have issued an Amber Alert for a two-year-old girl they say was abducted from a small town near the Alberta-B.C. border early on Monday morning.

Hailey Dunbar-Blanchette, 2, was taken from a residence in Blairmore, Alta., around 3:30 a.m. Monday, according to Crowsnest RCMP.

An Amber Alert was issued in Alberta Monday afternoon and later extended to B.C. and Saskatchewan.

Dunbar-Blanchette is described as a white, with a small build, brown eyes and light brown hair with bangs.

Police said an unknown suspect fled west from the scene in a newer white van with a large rear antenna and a flag attached.

Police are warning potential witnesses not to approach the suspect, and to instead call the police.

Neighbour Jennifer Irwin said she regularly saw Hailey playing outside her home or at a park.

Irwin said she is terrified, and that she hasn’t let go of her own two-year-old daughter all day.

With files from CTV Calgary

Update: RCMP say the father of the missing toddler was found dead this morning in Blairmore

We are tracking this story as it develops.

Police are treating the death of Terry Blanchette, 27, as a homicide, and say that the investigation is linked to missing toddler Hailey Dunbar-Blanchette. RCMP say they are still looking for an unknown person in connection with the missing girl and are “open to all possibilities.”

“We could be dealing with a single suspect or more than that,” said Supt. Tony Hamori, the RCMP’s assistant district head for southern Alberta, in an evening news conferences.

“This type of incident combined with the scene at the residence that we found is concerning to the highest degree both to the RCMP and to the communities in the Crowsnest Pass,” he told reporters.

“We’re just hopeful that this media release and the information we’ve gotten so far will be enough for the public to put as much energy into this as we are in terms of trying to locate this van or any other information that could be helpful to our investigation.”

In the meantime, the missing toddler’s mother is scrambling for answers after an amber alert was issued this afternoon.

Cheyenne Dunbar said she just found out today that her daughter has been missing since about 3:30 a.m. this morning.

“I don’t even know what’s going on myself,” Dunbar, who lives in Edmonton, said in a phone interview late this afternoon. “I just heard today.”

Just hours earlier, Dunbar posted on her Facebook page:

“Someone anyone with information about the incident on 21st ave blairmore please call me my baby lives there!!!!”

The amber alert is in effect for Alberta, B.C., Saskatchewan and Montana after Dunbar-Blanchette was allegedly abducted from a residence in Blairmore, Alberta by an unknown person.

Police said expanding the alert into Montana is a routine procedure and couldn’t confirm if this was due to emerging evidence.

Terry Blanchette worked as a cook at Pure Country Bar and Grill in Frank, a nearby town in the Crowsnest Pass. 

Monday was his day off, said manager Tammy Tracey.

“He was a good worker and a good father. He did anything for his daughter, he loved her dearly. He was a good dad. He lived for her.”

Tracey said Blanchette had worked at the bar for the last three years.

He would never miss a day of work, he had to support a daughter. He was a good kid. He had responsibilities, right?

She said he was a single parent.

“He shared custody and there wasn’t any problem with that either, not that we were aware of.”

The toddler is described by police as a caucasian female child, with a small build, light brown, straight hair with bangs, and brown eyes. RCMP say the child was abducted by an unknown person in a white van.

The suspect vehicle fled the residence west, at a high rate of speed, according to police.

The vehicle is described as a newer model white van, with a large rear antenna, with a flag attached.

RCMP are warning the public not to approach the suspect. Anyone with information is being asked to contact Crowsnest Pass RCMP at 403-562-2866.

They stress there is no known risk to public safety.

Hamori says police are doing patrols around Blairmore and will conduct a helicopter search if needed.

Blairmore is located approximately 220 km from Calgary in the Crowsnest pass.

RCMP say the father of the missing toddler was found dead this morning in Blairmore

Hailey Dunbar-Blanchette.

Hailey Dunbar-Blanchette.

Hailey Dunbar-Blanchette.

Hailey Dunbar-Blanchette.

It is always heart-wrenching when children are in danger.   I hope she is safe.

An Amber Alert remains in effect for Hailey Dunbar-Blanchette, a toddler whose father was found dead yesterday in a home in Blairmore, Alta., in what appears to be a murder-abduction.

The alert covers Alberta, B.C. and Saskatchewan, and extends into Montana.

"This is a terrifying ordeal," said Blair Painter, mayor of Blairmore, a small mountain community where the two-year-old was living with her father and grandfather.

"News travels quickly and traumatic news travels very quickly," Painter said.

The home is now at the centre of two parallel investigations — a homicide and a missing persons case.

"The scene at the residence that we found is concerning to the highest degree," said RCMP Supt. Tony Hamori.

Hamori says that when Mounties arrived at the home on Monday, they found the body of 27-year-old Terry Blanchette.

Police have confirmed that the girl isn't with her mother, who lives in Edmonton. They have had no further developments to report on Tuesday morning.

White van seen speeding away

Witnesses told investigators they heard loud noises around 3:30 a.m. Monday, and saw a newer-model white van with a large antenna on the back, speeding away.

Without any suspects, RCMP say any details on the white van are critical.

"We could be dealing with a single suspect or more than that... At this point in time, we are really seeking to get further information about this white van."

The apparent murder-abduction has shocked the community.

"I just hope they find her," said Doreen Polczer. "Why they [took] her I don't know. They would have been better off to leave her in the house. At least someone would have found her and she would have been safe."

Police are asking people not to approach the vehicle and to call Blairmore RCMP at 403-562-2866 or Crime Stoppers with any information.

Neighbours say two-year-old Hailey Dunbar Blanchette lived with her father and grandfather in a home in Blairmore, Alta. (Crowsnest Pass Herald)

Suspect arrested in Alberta Amber Alert case; search for missing girl continues

CTVNews.ca Staff, Published Tuesday, September 15, 2015 6:24AM EDT, Last Updated Tuesday, September 15, 2015 4:07PM EDT, Source

An Amber Alert remains in place and a suspect has been arrested a day after an Alberta father was found dead and his two-year-old daughter was abducted from a small town near the Alberta-B.C. border.

Hailey Dunbar-Blanchette, 2, was taken from a residence belonging to the Blanchette family in Blairmore, Alta., around 3:30 a.m. Monday, according to Crowsnest RCMP.

An Amber Alert was issued in Alberta on Monday afternoon and later extended to B.C., Saskatchewan, and south of the border in Montana.

Dunbar-Blanchette is described as a two-year-old white girl with a small build, brown eyes and light brown hair with bangs.

RCMP Supt. Tony Hamori told reporters Tuesday afternoon a 22-year-old local man was arrested earlier in the day in Blairmore. The suspect has not been charged.

Hamori also said that Hailey remains missing and that the Amber Alert will be renewed.

“We’re all hoping and praying we’re going to find her safely,” he said.

The girl’s father, Terry Blanchette, 27, was found dead at the family home around 11:15 a.m. Monday after police were alerted to the body by a family member.

Hamori said he believes the unnamed suspect was arrested “in association to both the homicide and the disappearance of Hailey.”

Asked whether Hailey had been with the man, Hamori responded “that’s reasonable.”

Hamori could not say whether the suspect was known to the Blanchettes.

Hamori said a white van was also recovered in connection with the investigation. “However it’s too soon to know if this is the exact van we’re looking for,” he said.

Hamoroi said Monday that police had spoken to Hailey’s mother and could "certainly confirm" that Hailey is not with her.

On Tuesday, Hamori added that Cheyenne Dunbar was being “co-operative with the investigation.”

Dunbar spoke to CTV News Monday and said she was still trying to figure out what happened.

Staff at the local restaurant where Blanchette worked as a cook said they were shocked to learn of his death, and spoke highly of his relationship with his daughter.

"He loved his little girl, he lived for his little girl," said Jenness Shortreed.

RCMP issued a statement Tuesday morning addressing the timeline of the Amber Alert, saying it was issued Monday at 2:14 p.m. MT -- three hours after they received a call reporting the father’s death.

Police said they immediately conducted a search for the child, including canvassing the neighbourhood. They also attempted to contact the girl’s mother.

An hour after the alert was issued in Alberta, police extended it to B.C., Montana and Saskatchewan “based on information (then) known to investigators.”

Pressed by reporters about why the pubic wasn’t notified sooner about Hailey’s disappearance, Hamori said that “some quality assurance checks and balances” are needed before an Amber Alert can be issued.

“One of the immediate things we did is a neighbourhood canvass,” he said. “It takes time, for example, to establish that Hailey didn’t just wander away from the residence and might be in a neighbour’s care.”

Hamori said “this is the toughest kind of case for police officers to deal with,” but added that he is “confident we’re going to get the information that we need.”

With files from CTV Calgary and CTV Edmonton

Derek James Saretzky, 22, has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder and one count of indignity to a body in connection with the deaths of Hailey Dunbar-Blanchette, 2, and her father, Terry Blanchette, 27, RCMP announced Wednesday.

The two men were acquainted with one another, police said at a news conference on Wednesday morning. But they wouldn't elaborate further.

Saretzky is a resident of Blairmore, the community where Blanchette and his daughter also lived. He was arrested Tuesday in Blairmore and charged today. A white van police believe was used in the abduction was seized by police.

Saretzky is scheduled to make his first court appearance on Sept. 23 in Lethbridge.

Amber Alert

The case came to the public's attention when an Amber Alert was issued for the girl, who was abducted in the middle of the night from the home where she lived with her father in the southern Alberta community of Blairmore.

It is believed the abduction took place around 3:30 a.m. Monday, but the father's body wasn't found until about 11 a.m. that day. What police officers found at the Blanchette home caused them to have great concern for Hailey's safety.

The toddler's body was discovered late Tuesday in a rural area near Blairmore. Information gathered during the investigation led officers to the area where the body was found, police said at a news conference Wednesday morning.

The indignity to a body charge against Saretzky relates to the child, but further details are not known.

At a news conference on Wednesday morning, RCMP. Tony Hamori expressed  the force's deep condolences to the families and said messages of support have been coming from around the world. 

"We understand these recent events have been traumatic for the citizens of Crowsnest Pass," he said.

"The resilience and strength this community has shown in recent days will undoubtedly serve them in the days ahead."

The double-homicide has shaken the Crowsnest Pass community, which is about 230 kilometres southwest of Calgary near the B.C.-Alberta border encompassing Blairmore, Coleman, Hillcrest and Bellevue, as well as the historical site at Frank Slide.

"It's just traumatic. We are a small community, a tight-knit community," said Blairmore Mayor Blair Painter. "It's just really, really hard."

As friends, family and community members gathered Tuesday night for a vigil, they learned the sad news that the little girl had been found dead.

"It is my very sad duty to tell you that we have found the body of Hailey Dunbar-Blanchette," RCMP Supt. Tony Hamori announced.

"Hailey's family has been notified and we extend our deepest condolences to the family for the loss of Hailey and for the loss of her father Terry." 

Hailey's mother, Cheyenne Dunbar, who lives in Edmonton, has travelled to Blairmore and police said she is co-operating with the investigation.

"It's affecting the whole community. And it will, you know. We'll stand behind the family and support them any which way we can," said Painter.

Hailey Dunbar Blanchette's body was discovered by police after she was abducted earlier this week, in a case that has shaken the community of Blairmore, Alta. (Cheyenne Dunbar/CBC)

Residents gathered for a candlelight vigil for Hailey Dunbar-Blanchette in Blairmore on Tuesday, before hearing news that police found her body. (Jeff McIntosh/Canadian Press)