UPDATED: Woman allegedly fabricated story about abduction, human trafficking

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This article was published 16/10/2015 (3802 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The case of a “mystery” woman and her daughter has come to an unexpected end as the mom now stands accused of making up a tale of being abducted and forced into the sex trade.

Brandon police say that the woman had actually fled Ontario with her daughter in the midst of a custody dispute with her ex common law partner.

Her ex, who lives in Richmond Hill, Ont., says he’s stunned by the allegations but thankful that his former partner and daughter have been found safe almost two months after they went missing.

“We’re just shocked, and it’s just incredible,” said the father, who the Brandon Sun isn’t naming to protect the identity of his daughter.

“It must be very traumatic for my daughter.”

The Brandon Sun is also withholding the name of the accused as it may illegally identify her daughter who is currently in Child and Family Services care while mom is in jail.

Police announced on Friday that they’d charged the mother with public mischief, and they and sources described how the investigation unfolded.

On Aug. 22, the woman attended an unidentified support agency in Brandon with her seven-year-old daughter.

Neither had identification, and the mother provided a false name for herself and daughter. The mom told staff that she’d been abducted as a child, held in captivity for years and forced into the Winnipeg sex trade.

She’d recently escaped, she said, but didn’t know her true identity because she’d been abducted at such a young age. The name she provided had been given to her by her abductors, she said.

According to one source, the woman claimed her daughter was the result of her captivity and involvement in the sex trade.

Brandon police were notified and began an investigation into the mom’s and daughter’s identities, and into the claims of abduction and human trafficking.

Investigators were skeptical, Brandon Police Service Sgt. Kevin McLean said, but the force had the duty to investigate.

“If it was actually true then we have a very serious situation on our hands,” McLean said.

McLean said the investigation included talking to other police agencies across Canada to try to match the case with any open abduction cases. That turned up nothing.

Police also contacted social service agencies across the nation to find out whether the woman had accessed their services. That revealed nothing.

Social services agencies had also spoken with the woman and daughter.

Child and Family Services and police interviewed the daughter, McLean said, but she maintained she didn’t know much. Police believed that she had been “coached” about what to say.

In an effort to determine the mother and daughter’s true identity, police issued a photo of them through the media on Oct. 8, asking for information.

On Thursday, police finally learned the woman’s true name, and that she’s from Etobicoke, Ont.

It’s not quite clear how the tip came in.

The true identity may have come from the Canadian Centre for Child Protection, which the BPS had previously contacted for help.

McLean also noted that CBC news ran a story about the mysterious woman and daughter nationally and a number of tips flowed in, including from the Etobicoke area.

Police now allege that the woman, who was arrested at a city shelter Thursday evening, made up the story of abduction and being forced into the sex trade.

McLean said police learned that there was a custody dispute between the woman and her former common-law partner over their daughter and believe the woman fled Ontario with the girl.

Specifically, she’s charged with public mischief by falsely reporting the offence of human trafficking, leading a BPS constable to begin an investigation.

The woman’s appearance in Brandon provincial court was waived on Friday, and she remains in custody for a court appearance on Monday.

The Crown attorney asked for the remand, to explore whether the woman will face parental child abduction charges as a result of taking her daughter out of Ontario.

The Toronto Police Service has confirmed that it is investigating the circumstances surrounding the mother and daughter’s departure from that province. No charges have been laid at this point.

There is an Ontario family court temporary order that states neither parent of the girl is to leave Ontario with the child without prior written consent.

However, the father says the mom could take their daughter out of Ontario, but had to provide him with an itinerary. She gave no indication that she was leaving.

He and the girl’s mother had been common-law partners for five years, living in Richmond Hill and then Toronto where their daughter was born before they split in February 2009. 

The father said the mother had full custody, while he had regular access.

He said he was applying for greater access when his contact with the girl was suspended over an allegation that he’d sexually touched his daughter — a claim he says was investigated by the Children’s Aid Society and found to be false.

The father said he was supposed to have a meeting with his daughter on Aug. 24 but she and her mom didn’t show. They didn’t show up on Sept. 2, either, when the dad’s access to his daughter was to resume.

Worried, he and the girl’s principal contacted police who learned that mother and daughter had left their apartment. 

The good news was that the cats were gone too, sent to a relative, so the father knew the departure was planned and his ex and daughter hadn’t been victims of crime.

That didn’t prevent sleepless nights, he said.

“Up until today I’ve just firstly been concerned as to their safety, both of them.”

On Friday afternoon, he was called to the Children’s Aid Society office and learned that his daughter had been found safe.

He said there would be no reason for his ex to be in Manitoba, other than perhaps it would be the last place anyone would look for her.

Toronto Police Service Const. Victor Kwong said police knew of the missing mother and daughter prior, and had been working on the case for a couple of months.

They finally learned of their whereabouts from the BPS.

“We had no idea where she was,” Kwong said of the mother. 

Kwong said an amber alert wasn’t issued in this case because, in Ontario, it’s not to be used unless a child is believed to be in danger.

The father says that his girl is currently in foster care in Brandon, but he expects she will soon be transferred to a foster home in Toronto or Richmond Hill for a short period before being placed to live with him.