What to know about the ongoing Amber Alert case in B.C. | CBC News

Since July 19, two B.C. children have been the subject of an Amber Alert, a system used to inform the public and locate children in cases of child abduction.

Aurora Bolton, 8, and Joshuah Bolton, 10, were allegedly abducted by their mother, Verity Bolton, who did not return the children to their father after a vacation in the Kelowna area, about 390 kilometres northeast of Vancouver in the province’s Interior. 

The two children, who are from Surrey — a city just southeast of Vancouver — have not been seen since, and their whereabouts are currently unknown.

Since the initial alert, Surrey RCMP have provided multiple updates on the case, including the car the children may be in, the adults they may be with, and what to look out for.

“The public is going to play a major role in locating Aurora and Joshuah,” Sgt. Tammy Lobb said in an RCMP news release.

“We need the public to be alive to the information and photos we have shared and to be our eyes and ears and continue to call us with any tips and possible sightings.”

Police say anyone who sees the car or the children is advised not to approach them and immediately call 911.

This timeline will be updated as more information comes in.

June 28

Aurora and Joshuah left Surrey with their mother Verity Bolton for a vacation in Kelowna.

At the the time, Verity had permission to take the children on the trip. However, the trio never arrived for the planned camping trip, and their reservation was cancelled.

June 30

Verity, the two children and her boyfriend Abraxas Glazov picked up her father  Robert Bolton at his home in Chilliwack, around 102 kilometres east of Vancouver. He has not returned since.

Aurora and Joshuah were seen at Krafty Kitchen and Bar in downtown Kelowna.

July 7

Aurora and Joshuah were captured on surveillance footage entering a gas station in Merritt, B.C., some 127 kilometres west of Kelowna. The truck they were travelling in was pulling a large travel trailer.

July 15

Verity was last seen in public in a Kamloops grocery store. The truck was towing a horse trailer.

July 17

Aurora and Joshuah were supposed to be returned to their father in Surrey.

July 18

Aurora and Joshuah’s father filed a report with Surrey RCMP, saying the children had not been returned to him.

July 19, 3:15 p.m. PT

People across B.C. first learned of the case when an Amber Alert was issued by Surrey RCMP on Wednesday, July 19 at 3:15 p.m.

Alerts were sent directly to cellphones through B.C.’s emergency alert system. The information was also broadcast regularly via radio and television, on highway message boards, and on buses across the province.

The alert informed the public that the children had allegedly been abducted by their mother, Verity Bolton, who was possibly travelling in a blue 2012 Dodge 2500 crew cab pickup truck with the B.C. licence plate number SJ2708.

It also provided detailed information about Verity, Aurora, and Joshua’s appearances.

July 19, 11 p.m. PT

A second alert lit up phones later that evening, around 11 p.m. This updated alert provided more detailed information about the children’s descriptions, and corrected some details about their appearance.

July 20

The day after the alert was issued, RCMP said Bolton was believed to be travelling with two men — her father, Robert Bolton, 74, and her boyfriend, Abraxas Glazov, 53.

RCMP released images of the two men, and said Robert Bolton was picked up by Verity and Glazov, accompanied by the two children, in Chilliwack on June 30 — the same day police say Verity was seen with her children in Krafty Kitchen and Bar in downtown Kelowna. 

Police also released two photos of the children in the Merritt gas station on July 7, and confirmed the July 15 sighting of Verity in the Kamloops grocery store.

Police confirmed security footage did not capture the children in the store on July 15, but Verity was seen wearing all black with a black baseball cap and black sunglasses.

RCMP also released photos of the truck and trailer they believe Verity might have been driving, this time adding the blue 2012 Dodge 2500 crew cab pickup truck was likely pulling “a white bumper pull horse/utility style trailer.”

However, in the Merritt sighting on July 7, RCMP said Verity was spotted with a large travel trailer. In the June 30 sighting, she appeared to have yet another trailer — but they said the truck was the same in each instance.

“We know they have been using the same truck, and they have been towing three different trailers, and we need the public to keep this in mind,” said Lobb.

“It’s also possible the children could be spotted with either Robert Bolton, Abraxas Glazov, or their mother, Verity Bolton.”

July 24

In RCMP’s biggest update yet since the search for the two children began, investigators said they believe Verity preplanned the alleged abduction of her two children and had moved “off the grid” with them, her boyfriend and her father.

Investigators said they had information suggesting the group is living in trailers in a rural area.

RCMP also provided further details about the two men believed to be with the trio: Verity’s father, Robert Bolton, has health problems and may seem confused or disoriented.

Glazov, who is from Nelson, B.C. — about 346 kilometres southeast of Kelowna — is an outdoorsman with connections to the Deadman Valley and Vidette Lake areas, RCMP said, and has a history of living “off the grid.”

Police said they’ve received more than 180 tips about the children’s whereabouts since the Amber Alert began last Wednesday. 

July 25

The family of Aurora and Joshuah issued a lengthy statement, saying the ordeal has had a “devastating” impact on their siblings.

It said the two “are so much more than missing children, more than a few photos.” The family said Joshuah loves cooking and playing online games, while Aurora is into crafts and dance parties.

“The love they share with their big sisters and brother is beyond beautiful, and the impact on their siblings is so devastating. They love the time they spend playing with them, loving them and teasing them. It is a very big part of their world,” the family’s message says.

“They love family picnics and movie nights with popcorn, making slime with maximum mess, trying silly experiments, playing silly pranks, water fights in the front yard with the neighbours, friends, play-dates and birthday parties. 

“Their home, routine, friends, best friends, many cousins, aunties, uncles and grand-parents miss them more than can be expressed. They are loved so very, very much, and are so very missed.”