Father of allegedly abducted Sask. 7-year-old in custody, girl is found safe in B.C.
Michael Gordon Jackson, 52, allegedly took the girl to keep her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
A seven-year-old girl who was allegedly abducted by her father in November is reunited with her mother and her father has been arrested, according to Saskatchewan RCMP.
The girl's mother, Mariecar Jackson, had said Michael Gordon Jackson, 52, of Carievale, about 290 kilometres southeast of Regina, took their daughter Sarah in November to prevent her getting vaccinated against COVID-19. Sarah primarily lives with her mother in the capital.
A court order directing the father to return the daughter to her Regina home was issued last month.
Police then issued a Canada-wide warrant, charging him with one count of abduction in contravention of a custody or parenting order.
Police announced Thursday that Sarah is safe and was reunited with her mother.
Sarah and her father were found by police in a vehicle in a parking lot in Vernon, B.C., about 440 kilometres northeast of Vancouver, police said. They were found at approximately noon on Thursday.
The father was arrested without incident and will remain in custody before a court date in Saskatchewan.
RCMP Sgt. Maj. Darryl Milo said it was a happy day at the RCMP headquarters in Regina.
Ongoing investigation
"Today we achieved the outcome we have been diligently working toward, which is reuniting Sarah with her mom," he said.
"We want to thank the many police officers from multiple police agencies in multiple provinces who assisted this investigation since November of last year."
The case remains under investigation, and it's possible anyone who assisted Michael Jackson could be charged, Milo said.
Mariecar Jackson and her family have asked for privacy right now, Milo said.