A father’s relentless search for his three sons, who vanished from Ontario in November, is set to end in a long-awaited reunion.
His ex-wife, 55-year-old Astrid Schiller is accused of abducting her own children and has been on the run for months. The mother was reported missing along with her three boys – Leon, 12, Christopher, 11, and Thomas, 9 in December.
Ten months later, Royal Canadian Mounted Police in Fort Qu’Appelle, Saskatchewan located Schiller and arrested her on September 26 for child abduction.
Schiller was arrested on an unendorsed warrant out of Manitoba, which means she must be taken into custody and cannot be released on bail until she appears before a judge. It’s often used for serious offenses where there’s a risk the individual might flee or pose a danger to the public.
Authorities held her in a detention cell as she attended court on September 27.
Newsweek reached out to the RCMP in Fort Qu’Appelle following Schiller’s arrest, however, they have not yet responded.
Officials took her three children into protective care, and they are currently in the process of being reunited with family in Ontario.
Boys in Protective Care Again
RCMP had a breakthrough in its search for Schiller after getting a report at 2 a.m. on June 16 that she was trying to cross the border at Boissevain into the U.S. during the tail end of a tornado.
Officers detained the mother and took the children into care in Forrest, Manitoba, but they released her soon after, stating the arrest warrant issued in Ontario didn’t extend into the other province.
After her release, Schiller searched for the foster home in Manitoba where the boys were supposed to spend the night. Manitoba’s Child and Family Services has a policy of not taking cell phones and electronics from children in their care, leading the father to believe Schiller might have been able to track his oldest son to the home.
Family handout
Police received information that the children were no longer at the care home and suspected Schiller had taken them again in the early hours of June 17.
This time, authorities have kept Schiller in custody in Brandon after transporting her there.
Newsweek reached out to the City of Brandon, however, they have not yet responded.
What Happened
The father told Newsweek he was only minutes away from seeing his sons for the first time in months when Schiller abducted them from school almost a year ago.
On November 17, 2023, he was on his way to pick up his children after spending much of the year without access due to an abuse claim. A judge had dismissed the claim a few days earlier, and the court had granted them 50/50 custody.
“I called the school to say ‘Hey I’m on my way, I have a fresh court order in hand’. Somebody warned her and she came probably 20 minutes prior to my arrival. I was on my way, and she took the kids and off she went.”
The police issued an arrest warrant for the mother on January 24 for three counts of parental abduction and one count of disobeying a court order.
RCMP reported the group was spotted several times in June, but that was the last time the father knew where his children were.
Since then, the boys’ father has heard very little from police but remained hopeful he would soon reunite with Leon, Christopher and Thomas. He will now finally have the chance for a long awaited reunion.
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