Observant parent thwarted abduction attempt of girl, 7, from B.C. school: police

A man has been charged after an alleged child abduction attempt at an elementary school in Chilliwack.

The man accused in the attempted abduction of a seven-year-old girl at a school in Chilliwack, B.C., this week was already wanted for an alleged armed assault in Vancouver last month, and he has now been charged with both offences.

Chilliwack RCMP say Joel McGillis, 49, is charged with kidnapping a person under 16, after a man wearing a “purple bunny-like mask” tried to remove the girl from Chilliwack Central Elementary School grounds on Wednesday morning. 

Police said the attempted abduction was thwarted by a concerned parent, who intervened and brought the child back to the school. 

Online court records show a person named Joel McGillis, born in 1976, made an appearance at Vancouver provincial court on Thursday, charged over an alleged April 4 assault with a weapon, then appeared in Abbotsford on Friday morning.

Abbotsford court listings say an unnamed person appeared at the same 9:30 a.m. sitting, charged with kidnapping someone under 16. 

Damienne Darby with the British Columbia Prosecution Service confirmed Friday that it was the same man, and said McGillis was not under a police undertaking or any form of bail in relation to the weapons offence when the alleged kidnapping occurred. 

“Rather, the process was by way of warrant,” Darby said in an email Friday. 

Supt. Darren Pankratz with Chilliwack RCMP said a parent at the school noticed the situation wasn’t right and brought the girl back to school unharmed before notifying police. 

“It really was the astute observation of a parent dropping off a child that said, ‘This doesn’t fit what I believe would be the norm,’” Pankratz said.

Pankratz said McGillis and the girl did not know each other, and the situation, while rare, is a reminder for parents to have conversations with their children about safety.

Police said McGillis was known to police, and online court records show a person with the same name, born in 1976, has convictions dating back 25 years, for offences including theft and break and enter.

RCMP are asking anyone who saw a person wearing a purple mask on Wednesday morning to contact them. 

Police shared a photo of the mask — a grinning purple bunny with large yellow teeth and narrowed black eyes. The character is Jax, from the adult animated web series “The Amazing Digital Circus.”

The identity of the alleged kidnapping victim is under a publication ban, as are details from any bail proceedings in the case.

This report by Darryl Greer, The Canadian Press, was first published May 15, 2026.