RCMP investigation into Amber Tuccaro's disappearance 'deficient,' report says

The family of murdered woman Amber Tuccarosays an independent federal review confirms what they having been saying from the outset about the RCMP investigation.

"What should've been done wasn't done," her brother, Paul Tuccaro, said Wednesday.

The 20-year-old woman from theMikisew Cree First Nation was last seen in Nisku on Aug. 18, 2010, a day after flying into Edmonton from Fort McMurray with her infant son.

Her remains were found on a farmer's field in rural Leduc County two years later. Tuccaro's murder remains unsolved.

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Paul Tuccaro read select passages of the 120-page report at a news conference with Amber's mother Vivian Tuccaro by his side.

The commission found that the investigation by Leduc RCMP was "deficient, in that various members were either not properly trained or did not adhere to their training, and that various members did not comply with various policies, procedures and guidelines."

In particular, thedecision to remove Amber's name from the missing persons list soon after she vanished was deemed "erroneous," leading to a month-long delay in the investigation.

"Approximately one month passed without any effort being made at the detachment level to investigate Ms. Tuccaro's disappearance," the report says.

It took four months for RCMP to interview Vivian Tuccaro about the disappearance of her daughter, which the commission found was "unreasonable and unexplained."

"Had practices been followed we would not be here today and maybe my sister would be back at home taking her son to school," Paul Tuccaro said.

A review of the investigation reports also found the contact information of potential witnesses was not always recorded by RCMP.

The review was completed by the Civilian Review and Complaints Commission for the RCMP, an independent federal agency. The family declined to release the report in its entirety, though may revisit that decision.

Vivian Tuccarosaw the report for the first time earlier this month more than four years after filing the initial complaint.

Vivian said she released details of the report in an effort to help other families of missing and murdered Indigenous people.

"We want the families to know that we're here and if we can help in any way, they can get a hold of us," she said.

"The biggest thing here is not to give up."

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But until the person who killed their daughter is found, the family said there is no justice for Amber.

"To the dirty bastard who's out there, we're not going away and we'll keep searching until you're caught," Vivian said.

The investigation was taken over by the RCMP's KARE unit after Amber's remains were found. The unit investigates unsolved homicides and cases of vulnerable missing persons.

John Ferguson, Alberta RCMP acting commanding officer, read a prepared statement at the news conference on behalf of commissioner Brenda Lucki.

The commissioner vowed to implement the recommendations and thanked the family for speaking up about the injustices they've experienced.

"The RCMP understands the urgency and importance of missing person cases. We must learn from our mistakes and continue to move forward with new policies and procedures," the statement read.