Many questions remain after boy returned safely

SPARWOOD (NEWS1130) – The disappearance of a three-year-old boy from Sparwood, and his safe return over the weekend captured the country’s attention.

“I truly want to smile about this because it’s not very often that these types of things happen in these types of investigations, frankly,” says Corporal Dan Moskaluk.

We spoke with people on the streets of Vancouver who told us they spent the last week praying that little Kienan Hebert was found safe and sound.

“So happy to hear it!  I was just so worried all day seeing that Amber Alert on the buses and everybody was concerned and I’m so glad they brought him home and I hope they find some answers,” says one woman.

Despite the good news, people still want to know where is Randall Hopley?  He’s a convicted sex offender and the main suspect in Keinan’s abduction. 

“It’s kind of creepy that the guy brought him [Kienan] back in the middle of the night, so he has access to the house.  You would think someone is paying attention to the surroundings,” says one man.

With so much police activity and attention on the case, criminal psychologist Mike Webster wonders how Kienan’s home was broken into twice.

“How could this individual march undetected into the family residence, deposit the little guy on the couch with his blankie, and escape undetected?”

Kienan’s father says the family’s home was intentionally left unlocked before the boy was mysteriously returned in the middle of the night.  Paul Hebert declined to comment about why or whether the police told him to do that.

Amber Alert

A man who helped create the Amber Alert system in the US says simplicity is key.  The emergency     
alert was put in place after a young girl’s abduction in Arlington, Texas.

Tyler Cox says after Amber Hagerman was abducted a listener then suggested a radio alert to let drivers know of any details.

He can’t speak to BC’s Amber Alert procedures, but adds their’s let the state access the information very easily.  “Some people refer to it as a National Amber Alert plan, there really isn’t a National Amber Alert plan.  But the national legislation clearly spelled out a way that allowed those state agencies to communicated information across statelines.”

“Simplicity is what works best and we’ve seen no reason to revise the plan over the last few years.  It has gone through updates as new technology came around,” adds Cox.

A lot of questions have been raised as to why an Amber Alert was issued in BC but not in Alberta, which is close to Sparwood.

Police are still appealing for Hopley to come forward and to contact police as soon as possible. 

“We are still searching for Randall’s 1987 Toyota Camry, brown in colour, a four-door sedan.  We ask the public if anyone has seen Randall Hopley or his vehicle, they are asked to call 911,” says Moskaluk.