Windsor and Chatham-Kent police are speaking out after Peel Region police received complaints from people being disturbed by Amber Alerts related to a murdered 11-year-old child.
Roopesh Rajkumar, 41, allegedly abducted his daughter Riya after he took her out for her birthday Thursday afternoon; the young girl was later found dead at a home west of Toronto.
Rajkumar will soon face a first-degree murder charge in her death, police said Friday.
Chatham-Kent police voiced frustration on Twitter Friday morning.
Windsor police Sgt. Steve Betteridge says in a few short hours, a subject can move an incredible geographic distance and the goal is to get the info out to an entire community, to get the info out in a fast, timely manner to get as many tips as much information back to authorities as we can.
“If anyone was feeling upset or bothered by receiving this. I like to tie this in a little bit personally,” says Betteridge. “Imagine of that person in need was a relative. Imagine if that person in need was somebody close to you."
Social media was abuzz with comments on Friday.
Some shared condolences for 11-year-old Raya Rajkumar, others expressing frustration at the alert.
Peel Regional Police are urging people to have some perspective.
Peel Regional Police spokesperson Danny Marttini told reporters Friday morning that the Amber Alert -- issued after 11 p.m -- led to the arrest of the murder suspect because someone had seen a car with a suspect’s licence plate.
But Marttini wanted people to appreciate the gravity of situation after police received complaints from people upset that the Amber Alert had woken them up when the emergency alert came across cellphones and TV stations.
“I feel for everyone but given the circumstances – I think it did lead to the arrest of the individual so I think that’s what we have to focus on,” she said, adding police were still receiving complaints hours after the initial alerts.
The Amber Alert was issued several hours after Rajkumar failed to return his daughter, Riya, to her mother. Marttini said that as soon as they had located the suspect and the child’s body, they set out to cancel the Amber Alerts.
Marttini said an undisclosed injury to Rajkumar has delayed the formal laying of the charge in the death of his daughter Riya, but she said it was expected later in the day.
With files from CTVNews.ca and The Canadian Press.
