Joel Mcgillis charged after attempted abduction of 7-year-old girl

Joel Mcgillis has been charged with kidnapping a person under 16 years of age after an attempted abduction of a 7-year-old girl at Chilliwack Central Elementary School on May 13. Police said the child was brought back to the school by a concerned citizen, and McGillis remains in custody ahead of a May 15 court appearance.

Chilliwack Central Elementary School

Chilliwack RCMP said police were notified at 9:09 a.m. on May 13 about the attempted abduction from the school grounds. A man had allegedly tried to remove the child from school property before the citizen intervened and returned her to the school. A short time later, police located a man matching the description nearby and arrested him.

Darren Pankratz, the officer in charge of Chilliwack RCMP, said in a statement: "Chilliwack RCMP is taking this incident extremely seriously. The safety of children in our community is a key priority, and we recognize how concerning this type of event is for families". He added: "We are working closely with the school district as this investigation continues, and we thank the members of the public who assisted in ensuring the child’s safety and helping police quickly locate and arrest the suspect."

Margaret Avenue witness search

Police said McGillis and the child are not known to one another, and investigators believe the incident was isolated. They are seeking witnesses who may have been in the area between Central Elementary School and Margaret Avenue between 8:30 a.m. and 9:15 a.m., and want anyone who saw an individual wearing a purple bunny-like mask to contact Chilliwack RCMP.

The case now moves to May 15, when McGillis is scheduled to appear in court while investigators continue collecting information from the school-to-Margaret Avenue corridor.