REGINA -- An Amber Alert was issued Sunday night for a six-year-old Saskatchewan girl who RCMP say was in the back of her family's SUV when it was stolen outside a strip mall in North Battleford.
"I think any six-year-old that was taken against their will is definitely a risk," RCMP Corporal Rob King said. "This girl, given her medical conditions, is at higher risk."
RCMP said the vehicle was taken Sunday at around 5 p.m. after the girl's mother left it running and went into a business in the strip mall.
The girl was secured in a child seat in the back of the SUV and police said they don't believe she would be able to get out of the vehicle herself.
Police said it's a case of an abduction by a stranger and there is no indication a family member is involved.
"This is a stolen SUV with a child in the back seat," King said. "This is not a parental abduction."
The girl has brown, jaw-length hair and was last seen wearing a navy-blue, long sleeve T-shirt, black jeans, pink socks and no shoes. She was also wearing a diaper.
Police said the girl requires medication every 12 hours and that missing a dose could lead to extreme medical distress.
There is no description of the suspect at this time and police said they don't know what direction the vehicle was headed. The Alert has been expanded beyond Saskatchewan to include Alberta and Manitoba.
Investigators contacted the vehicle's manufacturer to find out if it had GPS tracking, but were told it likely does not. They said it was something they were looking into further.
The SUV has a keyless entry system so police said that once the suspect shuts off the vehicle, it cannot be started again.
The vehicle is estimated to have had a half tank of gas.
Police said they are also reviewing any surveillance video that may be available.
