Saskatchewan mother calls for Indigo Alert system after death of Calgary boy with autism

After an 11-year-old boy from Calgary with autism went missing and was found dead two weeks later, the calls for an Indigo Alert system have grown louder.

The system would be used when a vulnerable child goes missing, unlike an Amber Alert, which is typically used in cases of suspected child abduction.

Aly Rapinchuk, who is the mother of a medically complex, neurodivergent child with epilepsy, joined The Evan Bray Show to speak with guest host Brent Loucks about why she believes Saskatchewan should adopt the Indigo Alert system.

Read more:

• Autism network calls for revamped alert systems after Calgary boy found dead
• Saskatchewan autism advocate urges stronger safeguards after death of Calgary boy
• Saskatoon neighbour gifts 7-year-old superhero cape for saving her home from fire

Listen to the full interview, or read the transcript below:

The following questions and answers have been edited for length and clarity.

BRENT LOUCKS: Tell us your story as a mom, and tell us about your child.

ALY RAPINCHUK: I’m a mom to two daughters. My oldest is Karina, who is medically complex. She has autism level three. She has uncontrollable epilepsy, as well as other neurological concerns. She tends to not have the sense of danger, so she could run into the storm drain water, anything that you know the normal kid would know is dangerous.

We’re thinking about the 11-year-old boy in Calgary back in July, Parker, and the intense search that we saw and we’re all scratching our heads thinking, “well, where is this boy?” And I recall the family saying, “Well, if you see him, don’t approach him. Just make note of it and let us know,” so that they could they could better deal with getting him back home. Sadly it didn’t go that way, as he was found dead. What does an indigo alert system mean in a situation like that, as opposed to an amber alert?

RAPINCHUK: So, an indigo alert system is different compared to an amber alert because it helps our most vulnerable community. So, it could be elders with dementia, Alzheimer’s, autism, individuals who are nonverbal or just don’t have the general understanding. And with this alert, we are hoping that it can help save lives because the Amber Alert you need a very strict criteria to meet to be able to have that alert. And unfortunately, with Parker, it was two and a half days later that they did put out this alert, which I feel like they should have done sooner to possibly save a life.

How would an Indigo Alert help track down someone that goes missing?

RAPINCHUK: It’s still currently in the talks, but if we do get it, we could make it so that if a vulnerable individual goes missing, it goes out in that specific part of the city that they’re missing in. It could include information like “do not approach them because they may run away.” You can’t just go up to them and be like, “Hey, can you come here? Because you know the individual might just take off the other way.

You often see criticisms of the Amber Alert because people don’t fully understand what the parameters are when the police or the agency involved will issue an Amber Alert. What would the parameters be for an Indigo alert?

RAPINCHUK: From what I’m understanding, it would be after two hours that this alert would go out if there is no signs of them, and then once it’s out you could always have the information and everything, like I said.

Have you heard from other families that are in similar situations? Are you getting a lot of support for this idea?

RAPINCHUK: Yeah, I’ve had over 300 families reach out to me. I’m working with other representatives in Saskatchewan who also have autistic children with these same needs, and I’m also hearing Canada wide from other individuals like parents and daycares, because there’s so many different people that are vulnerable. We really need to figure something out to keep them safe.

Are there alert systems like this in other parts of the country or the world that you’re aware of?

RAPINCHUK: Alberta does have the silver alert, which is for elders if they go missing. I believe it’s for people with dementia or Alzheimer’s. But like I haven’t personally looked too much into it, and I haven’t heard much of it until recently, as we do not have that here in Saskatchewan.

The system is administered here by the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency. Have you had any discussions with them? Would they support this category of alert?

RAPINCHUK: We’ve heard from several people in office who support the idea. And we are reaching out to the mayors and other individuals across Canada, and we’re just trying to gather as much support as we can. But so far, the main thing I can see is everybody is in support of something like this.

And would this final decision be on the part of the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency?

RAPINCHUK: They can support it, but they can’t completely put it through. It actually has to go to the House of Commons, and it has to get taken in by a member of Parliament, so that we can make it happen for the province.

I understand you’ve got an awareness raiser next month, a rally at the legislature?

RAPINCHUK: Yes, it’s September 12 at 1p.m. We are going to be bringing information. We’re going to have posters. We’re going to have speakers from all across Saskatchewan.