What to know about the July Amber Alert case in B.C.

From July 19 to 29, two B.C. children were the subject of an Amber Alert,a system used to inform the public and locate children in cases of child abduction.

The children were allegedly abducted by their motherwho did not return the children to their father after a vacation in the Kelowna area, about 390 kilometres northeast of Vancouver in the province's Interior.

The two children, who are from Surrey a city just southeast of Vancouver were eventually located in Alberta on July 29.

Since the initial alert, Surrey RCMP provided multiple updates on the case,including the car the children may have been in, the adults they were possibly with, and what to look out for.

This timeline was updated as more information came in about the case.

June 28

The children left Surreywith their motherfor a vacation in Kelowna.

At thetime, the mother had permission to take the children on the trip. However, the trio never arrived for the planned camping trip, and their reservation was cancelled.

June 30

The mother, the two children and her boyfriend picked up herfather at his home in Chilliwack, around 102 kilometres east of Vancouver.He has not returned since.

The childrenwere seen atKraftyKitchen and Bar in downtown Kelowna.

July 7

The childrenwere captured on surveillance footage entering agas station in Merritt, B.C., some 127 kilometres west of Kelowna.

July 15

The mother was last seen in public in a Kamloops grocery store.

July 17

The children were supposed to be returned to their father in Surrey.

July 18

The children's father filed a report with Surrey RCMP, saying they had not been returned to him.

July 19, 3:15 p.m. PT

People across B.C. first learnedof the case when an Amber Alert was issued by Surrey RCMPon Wednesday, July 19 at3:15 p.m.

Alerts were sent directly to cellphones through B.C.'s emergency alert system. The information wasalsobroadcast regularly via radio and television, on highway message boards, and on buses across the province.

The alert informed the public that the children had allegedly been abducted by their mother.

It also provided detailed information aboutappearances of the mother and children.

July 19, 11 p.m. PT

A second alert lit up phones later that evening, around 11 p.m.This updated alertprovided more detailed information about the children's descriptions, and corrected some details about their appearance.

July 20

The day after the alert was issued, RCMP said the mother wasbelieved to be travelling with two men her father and her boyfriend.

RCMP released images of the two men, and said the grandfatherwas picked up by the mohter and her boyfriend, accompanied by the two children, in Chilliwack on June 30 the same day police say the mother was seen with her children in Krafty Kitchen and Bar in downtown Kelowna.

Police alsoreleased two photos of the children in theMerritt gas station onJuly7, and confirmed the July 15 sighting of the mother in the Kamloopsgrocery store.

Police confirmed security footage did not capture the children in the store on July 15.

RCMP also released photos of the vehicle they believe the mother might have been driving.

However, in the Merritt sighting on July 7, RCMP said the mother was spotted with a trailer. In the June 30 sighting, she appeared to have yet anothertrailer but they said the truck was the same in each instance.

"We know they have been using the same truck, and they have been towing three different trailers, and we need the public to keep this in mind,"said Lobb.

"It's also possible the children could be spotted with either [the grandfather], [the boyfriend], or their mother."

July 24

InRCMP'sbiggest updateyet since the search for the two children began, investigators said they believe the mother preplanned the alleged abduction of her two children and hadmoved "off the grid" with them, her boyfriend and her father.

Investigators said they hadinformation suggesting the group is living in trailers in a rural area.

RCMP also provided further details about the two men believed to be with the trio: the grandfather has health problems and may seem confused or disoriented.

The boyfriend, who is from Nelson, B.C. about 346 kilometres southeast of Kelowna is an outdoorsman with connections to the Deadman Valley and Vidette Lake areas, RCMP said,and hasa history of living "off the grid."

Police saidthey've received more than 180 tips about the children's whereabouts since the Amber Alert began last Wednesday.

July 25

The family of the childrenissued a lengthy statement, saying the ordeal has had a "devastating" impact on their siblings.

It said the two"are so much more than missing children, more than a few photos."

"The love they share with their big sisters and brother is beyond beautiful, and the impact on their siblings is so devastating. They love the time they spend playing with them, loving them and teasing them. It is a very big part of their world," the family's message says.

"They love family picnics and movie nights with popcorn, making slime with maximum mess, trying silly experiments, playing silly pranks, water fights in the front yard with the neighbours, friends, play-dates and birthday parties.

"Their home, routine, friends, best friends, many cousins, aunties, uncles and grand-parents miss them more than can be expressed. They are loved so very, very much, and are so very missed."

July 27

Surrey RCMP said the mother and her boyfriendmay have accessto a distinct vehicle. The vehicle is registered to the grandfather, but is uninsured, and may not have a licence plate.

July 29

The Amber Alert ended after Surrey RCMPsaidthey found the children safely that evening.

July 30

RCMP Cpl. Vanessa Munn said the childrenwere located at a rural property outside Edson, Alta and were being reunited with their family.

The mother and one of her male companions were arrested and havebeen charged with two counts each of abduction.