York Regional Police have yet to receive a tip regarding the possible location of a missing 13-year-old Newmarket boy since issuing a public alert yesterday.
[Located] has been missing from his family's home on Schaeffer Outlook in the Wyndham Village neighbourhood since Saturday.
The alert has been widely shared by the public and media, said York Regional Police Const. Laura Nicolle.
Investigators are continuing to encourage anyone with information about his whereabouts to immediately contact police.
"If you know where he is, we just want to know that he is safe," she said.
Police received the report of the missing boy on Saturday, but did not seek the public's assistance until other avenues of the investigation had been exhausted, Nicolle said.
The decision to share a child's photograph and other information is carefully balanced with the privacy rights of the individual and families involved in a missing person case, she added. York police regularly deal with missing child reports without seeking public assistance.
Many social media users are questioning why an Amber Alert has not been issued, and while police are very concerned about the well-being of the child, they don't believe [Located] has been abducted, Nicolle said.
The OPP make the decision to issue an Amber Alert if requested by an Ontario law enforcement officer when a child abduction has been confirmed, and when it can assist in locating the child.
[Located] is described as:
- Male, 13 years
- 5’5”, 100 lbs
- Thin build
- Brown, curly hair
- Brown eyes
- Wearing a red Raptors baseball hat, a dark shirt, purple basketball shorts and black and white Addidas shoes
- May be riding an Orange KONA Bicycle
If you have information, contact the York Regional Police #1 District Criminal Investigations Bureau at 1-866-876-5423, ext. 7141 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-tips or leave an anonymous tip online.