Calgary police have man in custody in connection with Amber Alert

Police have one man in custody and are searching a rural area for evidence in connection with the Amber Alert for five-year-old Taliyah Leigh Marsman.

Calgary police issued an Amber Alert for Marsman early Tuesday morning after her mother, Sara Baillie was found dead in her basement suite in the northwest neighbourhood of Panorama Hills. Officers believed the little girl was abducted by an unknown person.

On Tuesday, relatives gave an emotional plea for the safe return of the little girl who they describe as “vivacious” and “curious”.

On Thursday morning, police were searching a rural area east of Chestermere, but had not announced any charges against the person in custody, saying only that he was wanted for questioning.

Late on Wednesday, police released security camera photos of Marsman and her mother taken at a Dairy Queen at 66 Sandarac Drive in Calgary on Sunday night at 5:30 p.m. Police would like to speak to a family who talked to them at the restaurant that night in the hopes that they might remember something. The family is not suspected of any wrongdoing.

In the update on Wednesday, police said witnesses also reported seeing a girl matching Marsman’s description with a stocky, black man in the vicinity of where her mother’s car was found on Panamount Boulevard N.W.

Marsman was wearing red or pink boots with polka dots and carrying a reddish-coloured suitcase.

People with information are asked to call 403-266-1234.