‘It’s baffling’: Coquitlam RCMP face questions, criticism around lack of Amber Alert for O’Soup

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This is part three in a three-part series about the disappearance and death of B.C. teen Noelle O’Soup. For part two, click here.

Warning: Details may be disturbing to some viewers. Discretion is advised.

When a child disappears in Canada, the public is typically notified — often through an Amber Alert, which adds urgency and visibility to a situation where every second counts.

None of that was afforded to Noelle O’Soup.

“It’s baffling,” said Roslyn Chambers, a child protection lawyer who specializes in cases involving foster care and the Ministry of Children and Family Development (MCFD).

“Why was there not an Amber Alert issued for Noelle? ‘That’s a complicated answer.’ Well, maybe it’s not.”

The answer to that question differs, depending on who you ask.

In the case of O’Soup, who was just 13 years old when she walked away from a group foster care home in Port Coquitlam, the question was directed to Coquitlam RCMP, which had jurisdiction over her missing person case.

“The Laws and Legislation require specific criteria to be met in order to issue an AMBER Alert, all of which were not met in this case [sic],” said Coquitlam RCMP in an emailed statement, after refusing an on-camera interview in connection to the O’Soup investigation.