Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
For two months, Mariecar Jackson has been trying to find her seven-year-old daughter who she says was taken by her ex-husband to an undisclosed location because he didn’t want the girl to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
Now, the Regina, Sask.-area mother is turning to the public for help in a desperate bid to find the young girl.
“In a pandemic, we just want to be with our family. We just want everyone to be safe and I don’t know where she is,” Jackson told CTV National News.
“It’s not good for seven-year-old to live in hiding. It just breaks my heart.”
Jackson’s ex-husband, Michael, refused to return seven-year-old Sarah after a visit in November. Mariecar wanted her daughter to be vaccinated; Michael, who is against the vaccine, did not.
Mariecar believes Sarah is being kept from other children, out of school and in hiding.
Meanwhile, Michael appeared on a right-wing talk show from an undisclosed location last week to discuss his views against the vaccine. During the interview, uploaded to the online platform Rumble, he and the host exchange unsubstantiated and disproven stories about COVID-19 vaccines, including false claims that MRNA vaccine change human DNA.
“I’m her father, it’s my job to protect her,” he says in the video.
"Even if there's a one in a million chance that your daughter could, not even die, but there's a one in a million chance she couldn't have a baby, wouldn't that be enough?"
The missing girl is visible in the background for much of the interview. At one point, the host asks whether the daughter wants the vaccine, at which point her father points the camera at her.
"It can change your DNA. I don't believe God wants me to. And it can make you sick and kill you," the girl said.
Saskatchewan RCMP say they are investigating but would not offer further comment on the matter.
Her mother says she still wants her daughter to get vaccinated, but says her main concern is that she returns home safely. She says she is willing to take the decision to court and let a judge decide.
Lawrence Pinsky, family lawyer in Winnipeg, Man., says these kinds of vaccine-related disputes are becoming more common in Canada as the pandemic continues.
“[This] has changed over time and become more of an issue about vaccination where people are asking the court either to vaccinate or to prohibit vaccination of their children,” Pinsky told CTV National News.
“But the courts have been pretty clear across the country but, particularly in Manitoba, the starting presumption is that vaccination is in a child’s best interest.”
In September, a court case in Saskatchewan involving divorced parents who disagreed on the vaccine issue made national headlines, with the judge ultimately siding with the father, who wanted their 13-year-old daughter to get the shot.
In December, a judge in Alberta ruled in favour of a woman who was fighting with her ex-husband over whether their children would be vaccinated against COVID-19, the first case of its kind in the province.
In a similar case in Quebec, a Superior Court judge ruled in favour of a mother who wanted to have her 12-year-old vaccinated against the father’s wishes.
“There may be an unusual case where the parent may be able to prove that for the particular child the vaccine isn’t warranted, that would be extremely rare and you would have to bring strong evidence,” Pinsky said.
“In theory, if one could show some medical reason with particular evidence then there would be a case. Otherwise the presumption is going to be that vaccines are in the child’s best interest.”
On Saturday, Saskatchewan RCMP issued a press release asking anyone with information about Michael's whereabouts to contact police.
The 52-year-old is described as weighing approximately 250 pounds and having blue eyes and dark brown hair. According to police, he does not have a known vehicle.
He resides in the Carievale, Sask., area and may have connections to the communities of Dilke, Oxbow, Alameda, Regina andSaskatoon, Sask. and Lamont, Alta.
Anyone with information about the whereabouts of Michael Gordon Jackson or his daughter is asked to call the Saskatchewan RCMP at 310-RCMP (7267) or (306) 780-5563.
Information can also be submitted anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 1‐800‐222‐TIPS (8477) or www.saskcrimestoppers.com.
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Nearly 20 hours after a man climbed and remained perched on top of the Reconciliation Bridge in downtown Calgary, the situation came to a peaceful resolution.
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.
B.C. conservation officers recently seized a nine-foot-long Burmese python from a home in Chilliwack.
A New Brunswicker will go to bed Thursday night much richer than he was Wednesday after collecting on a winning lottery ticket he let sit on his bedroom dresser for nearly a year.
The Ontario government is introducing changes to auto-insurance, but some experts say the move is ill-advised.
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff.
Newfoundland’s unique version of the Pine Marten has grown out of its threatened designation.
A Toronto man is out $12,000 after falling victim to a deepfake cryptocurrency scam that appeared to involve Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
It started small with a little pop tab collection to simply raise some money for charity and help someone — but it didn’t take long for word to get out that 10-year-old Jace Weber from Mildmay, Ont. was quickly building up a large supply of aluminum pop tabs.
There’s a group of people in Saskatoon that proudly call themselves dumpster divers, and they’re turning the city’s trash into treasure.
Ontario is facing a larger than anticipated deficit but the Doug Ford government still plans to balance its books before the next provincial election.