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Alana Livas Captured
April 14, 2008 permalink
Acting on an anonymous tip police in Montreal found Alana Livas and arrested her parents, Peter and Vivene Livas. The parents are wanted for failure to appear in court, parental abduction and running a marijuana grow-op.
This whole case is a sham. Alana does not have rickets, as claimed by children's aid. Since she is non-Caucasian, she cannot drink milk, but is in the same health as any other child of Chinese descent. During their recent five months with Alana her parents gave her calcium and vitamin D supplements. Private communications confirm that the grow-op accusation is false. Peter legally used marijuana to relieve arthritis, and equipment in the home was to grow tomatoes and cucumbers from seed. Documents given to the parents showed that a man sexually abused Alana while she was in the care of her aunt, Jean Chin. Jean Chin's blog shows her alienation from her sister Vivene.
It is sad that the parents did not take the suggestion we published on February 14 — leave Canada. The parents will have a struggle to get out of jail, and will not be able to protect their daughter. Now that Alana is going back to aunt Jean, some of the aunt's hostility toward her sister may be transferred to her niece.
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Missing five-year-old found in Montreal
Toronto police have found five-year-old Alana Livas, who has been missing for nearly five months.
The child was found, along with her parents, in Montreal. According to police she appears to be in good health and will be back in Toronto Monday night.
Vivene and Peter Livas, with Alana (Toronto Police Service)"This morning I received the information that the Livas family may be located in Montreal," said Toronto Police Det. Const. Rosemarie Pengelly. "I followed up with this information and through investigation I came up with an address in Montreal. I contacted Montreal police and they attended this address and found the Livas family living there."
Peter and Vivene Livas are facing charges, including the parental abduction of their daughter.
The child went missing from the parking lot of the Children's Aid Society in Scarborough last November.
There were concerns over the little girl's health since Alana has rickets, a softening of the bones. It's a rare condition caused by vitamin D and calcium deficiencies. There are only about 50 cases reported across Canada each year.
At the time of her abduction she had two months' worth of vitamins in her body to combat the effects of rickets and there were continuing concerns over the possibility that her health might suffer without proper medical treatment.
Pengelly told a news conference in Toronto on Monday afternoon that she doesn't know if the girl had been receiving her daily medication.
The child's parents lost custody of the girl in March 2007.
She was being cared for by her aunt, Jean Chin, but her parents were still allowed visits.
Source: CBC News
Addendum: Two years later judge Robert J Spence rendered an opinion. The introductory notes look like the kind of one-sided mudslinging common in reports by social workers. CAS returned Alana to her alienated aunt and the judge made her a crown ward.
