***Update as of 11:30 a.m. on May 27: Maryam and Mary Alshehadeh, who were reported to have been abducted last night, have returned home and are safe. One woman has been arrested.**
Vancouver Police are asking the public to help locate a woman who allegedly abducted two children from their mother's home on Thursday (May 26) evening.
Vancouver Police Department (VPD) investigators believe 37-year-old Alana Ridings took sisters Maryam Alshehadeh, age 9, and Mary Alshehadeh, age 7, from their mother’s home near Campbell and Hastings streets in the Strathcona neighbourhood around 7 p.m.
According to police, the mother and her children know Alana and there isn't any indication that the suspect has harmed either child or that they are in "imminent danger."
Investigators also believe there is "no concern for the safety of any other children in the community."
Alana, who also goes by the name Angelina Bruce, is white, 5’10”, and about 170 pounds. She has a fair complexion and brown hair.
“The photos we have released today show what the two girls were wearing at the time they left their home last night,” says VPD spokesperson Const. Tania Visintin. “Anyone with information about their whereabouts, recent activities, or travel plans should call 9-1-1, or investigators at 604-717-0600.”
