A Winnipeg woman with dementia who was abducted Saturday morning was found safe and unharmed inside a vehicle that had been stolen nearly 10 hours earlier.
At around 12:20 on Saturday, Winnipeg police confirmed that Sandra McLaughlin, 63, had been located. Winnipeg police had issued an emergency alert after McLaughlin, who lives with dementia, was abducted in what police described as a “completely random incident”.
Police said McLaughlin was reportedly in the back of a blue 2012 Jeep Patriot parked at a gas station at 3600 Portage Avenue Block. While the Jeep was parked, police said a man approached and stole it shortly before 2 p.m.
Video surveillance shows a man walking towards the Jeep, getting up next to the passenger and sliding into the driver’s seat. Police said a family member who had been driving the vehicle with Sandra was seen climbing up and trying to stop the robbery, but the Jeep pulled away.
UPDATE: Below is a video of the kidnapping. If you have any information to share, please contact the researchers at 204-986-6250. pic.twitter.com/zLtcMfPg6Q
– Winnipeg Police (@wpgpolice) June 4, 2022
Winnipeg police issued an emergency alert shortly after 11 a.m., asking people to be alert and call 911 if they saw anything.
Police said shortly after issuing the alert, someone called 911 to say they believed they had seen the Jeep in the Charleswood area. Although it turned out that the Jeep was not stolen, police said officers remained in the area and continued to search.
Shortly before noon, officers found the stolen Jeep abandoned in the Glendale neighborhood.
“Sandra was found alone and physically injured inside the vehicle,” police said in a press release.
Earlier in the day, Winnipeg police also issued a silver alert, which is issued when a vulnerable adult is reported missing. Const. Jay Murray of the Winnipeg Police Service said the fact that McLaughlin is living with dementia adds to the gravity of the situation.
He said that while car thefts are quite common in Winnipeg, it is unusual for someone to be inside the vehicle when they steal it.
“It’s an unusual incident. We have nothing to indicate that these parts are known,” Murray said. “At this point, it appears to be a completely random incident and a crime of chance.”
Police said there were no arrests at this time and the suspect has not yet been identified. However, the major crime unit is investigating. Murray said it is unknown if the suspect knew Sandra was in the Jeep before or during the robbery.
Police said the suspect is described as about six feet tall and with dark hair. He was seen wearing a gray jacket, dark shorts, a white sweatshirt, white sandals and gloves.
Anyone with information is asked to call investigators at 204-986-6219 or Crime Stoppers at 204-786-8477.