Father of missing northern Ontario girl, 5, questioning lack of Amber Alert

The father of a missing five-year-old Indigenous girl from northern Ontario, at the centre of a messy custody battle, is questioning the police's decision to not issue an Amber Alert.

The father of a missing five-year-old Indigenous girl from northern Ontario, at the centre of a messy custody battle, is questioning the police's decision to not issue an Amber Alert.

Nakina Boyer and her mother Jeanette Niganobe, 47, were last seen Jan. 15 in Mississaugi First Nation east of Sault Ste. Marie.

"We do know that Jeanette departed with the child and is evading police," Ontario Provincial Police Const. Phil Young told CTV News in an email.

Boyer's father, Fred Robinson, told CTV News in an online video interview Friday morning he was granted full custody on Monday after a three-and-a-half-year court battle. Niganobe has been given visitation every other weekend.

"We had a Zoom court appearance Monday the 15th at 9 o'clock in the morning in which the judge decided for Nakina's safety, she'd be better off in my care," Robinson said.

OPP said it couldn't comment on the court judgment and the Elliot Lake courthouse referred CTV News to the Ministry of the Attorney General, which has not yet provided confirmation of the custody order.

"I received a phone call from OPP roughly around I'm going to say 10:30, quarter to 11, they advised me they got a phone call from Mississaugi First Nation … and they were worried about Jeanette fleeing, taking off with Nakina," said Robinson, of Batchewana First Nation.