Mothers calling for changes to alert system amid search for Calgary boy with autism

CALGARY — The disappearance in Calgary of a non-verbal boy with autism has prompted some parents with neurodivergent children to push for changes to Alberta’s emergency alert system.

Jennifer Ball, who has a seven-year-old boy who also has autism and is non-verbal, is one of the mothers launching petitions for an emergency public warning for missing neurodivergent children similar to Amber Alerts.

“It’s definitely something that could happen to any one of our children, but I think it’s especially close to home because I do have a son who is just like Parker and a lot of the similarities are there,” Ball said in an interview.

“When (Parker) went missing, it felt like he was my son.”

Amber Alerts are warnings issued when police believe a child has been abducted and considered in serious danger.

Last Thursday, Parker, age 11, was reported missing from his daycare home in north Calgary. An Amber Alert was issued for him two days later. The Alberta government granted an exemption due to the circumstances of the case.

Calgary police have not released the boy’s last name. They have asked residents to check their properties for any sign of him. The search continued Tuesday.

Ball lives in the Calgary community where Parker disappeared. She said she learned of his disappearance before the Amber Alert was issued and realized, “There is a huge gap in the system.”

As of Tuesday, her petition had more than 2,100 signatures. She said she would call the new alert system an indigo alert since the deep purple colour is associated with autism awareness.

“The infrastructure is there,” she said. “I think it’s something as simple as creating a separate template, and it can literally go out with the information for that child that’s missing.”

Calgary Police Staff Sgt. Scott Guterson, asked by reporters Monday about the delayed Amber Alert, said the focus for now must remain on the search.

“There is going to be plenty of time to quarterback any decisions on this investigation afterwards,” Guterson said.

Stephanie Karas, who has two children with autism, also started a petition for a new alert system after Parker disappeared. Her six-year-old son has limited speech and her three-year-old daughter is non-verbal.

Karas said Parker’s case resonates because her daughter recently picked the lock of the fence of her daycare’s playground ran toward a busy road.

“One educator caught her just before she hit the main road,” Karas said.

Her petition calls for the province to establish a blue alert for missing vulnerable people. It had more than 780 signatures by Tuesday afternoon.

Amanda Pick, CEO the Missing Children Society of Canada, said she understands why families want broader alerts, but said officials must also consider alert fatigue if they become too common.

“You run the risk of people not paying attention or there being a backlash,” Pick said.

Pick pointed to the Child Search Network, a police-operated system developed by the Missing Children Society of Canada that sends geographically targeted text alerts in high-risk missing child cases that don’t meet Amber Alert criteria.

Members of the public must opt in to receive alerts in their area and view active missing child cases.

Pick said wider public participation is essential because missing children cannot be found without community help.

“It is important to get this information to the people that can make the biggest difference right away, which is everybody in that geographically specific area,” she said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 21, 2026.

— By Daniela Germano in Edmonton

The Canadian Press