Death of Amber Tuccaro

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Amber Tuccaro
Born
Amber Alyssa Tuccaro

(1990-01-03)January 3, 1990
DisappearedAugust 18, 2010 (aged 20)
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Body discoveredSeptember 1, 2012
Leduc County, Edmonton Metropolitan Region, Canada
Resting placeFort Chipewyan Cemetery, Alberta, Canada
58°43′07″N 111°28′08″W / 58.7187°N 111.469°W / 58.7187; -111.469 (approximate)
Known forVictim of unsolved homicide

Amber Alyssa Tuccaro (3 January 1990 – disappeared 18 August 2010) was a Canadian First Nations woman from Fort McMurray, Alberta who went missing in 2010. Tuccaro was last seen near Edmonton, hitchhiking with an unidentified man. Her remains were found in 2012. As of 2021, her case is still unsolved.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police investigation of her disappearance was sharply criticized by the Tuccaro family, who alleged that police downplayed their concerns. A federal review released in 2018 found that the RCMP's investigation was "deficient" and "did not comply with procedures and guidelines".[1]

Her case is among the high number of missing and murdered Indigenous women of Canada.

Background[]

Amber Tuccaro was born in 1990 in Alberta, Canada. She was a member of the Mikisew Cree First Nation.[2] At the time of her disappearance, she was living in Fort McMurray, Alberta with her mother and 14-month-old son.[3]

Disappearance[]

In August 2010, Tuccaro flew from her home in Fort McMurray to Edmonton with her infant son and a female friend for a short vacation. The group booked into a hotel in nearby Nisku.[2][3]

Tuccaro was last seen the following day, 18 August at about 8 pm, when she accepted a ride into Edmonton from an unknown man.[4] She received a phone call during the ride in which the male driver can be heard in the background assuring Tuccaro that they are heading east on a back road toward Edmonton. Police believe the man actually drove south into rural Leduc County.[4]

Police released a recording of the phone call in 2012. Tuccaro can be heard in the recording telling the driver, "You'd better not be taking me anywhere I don’t want to go."[2] Investigators continue to seek the assistance of the public to identify the voice of the driver.

Tuccaro's remains were discovered by horseback riders on 1 September 2012 in a field in Leduc County. Her remains were positively identified by dental records.[5]

Investigation[]

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) did not immediately list Tuccaro as a missing person, explaining to family members that she might be out partying and that they would need to wait 24 hours.[6] She was eventually listed as a missing person, but was removed from the list based on unconfirmed sightings.[6] On 4 September 2010, the RCMP publicly stated that they did not believe Tuccaro was in danger.[7]

The RCMP waited until one month after Tuccaro's disappearance to begin its investigation. The police service waited four months to begin conducting interviews.[1] Tuccaro's travel companion – the last person known to have seen her alive – was never considered a person of interest by the RCMP, and she was never located or interviewed.[7]

In 2014, Tuccaro's family filed a complaint with the Civilian Review and Complaints Commission for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.[1] The RCMP issued a report in 2018 which concluded that its investigation 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 procedures and guidelines."[1] Deputy Commissioner Curtis Zablocki apologized to the family, stating that the investigation "was not our best work." The family rejected Zablocki's apology.[8]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d Graney, Juris (19 September 2018). "Report finds RCMP investigation of Amber Tuccaro's murder case was 'deficient'". Edmonton Journal. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
  2. ^ a b c Weber, Bob (25 July 2019). "RCMP apologizes to Amber Tuccaro's family, says probe into her disappearance and death 'not our best work'". The Globe and Mail. The Canadian Press. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
  3. ^ a b Parsons, Paige (22 July 2019). "RCMP to apologize to family of murder victim Amber Tuccaro". CBC News. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
  4. ^ a b "Police hope man's voice will lead to missing woman". CBC News. 28 August 2012. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
  5. ^ "Missing Alberta woman's remains found near Leduc". CBC News. 4 September 2012. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
  6. ^ a b Weber, Bob (7 November 2017). "RCMP destroyed murdered Indigenous woman's belongings, brother says". National Post. The Canadian Press. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
  7. ^ a b Mosleh, Omar (27 June 2019). "Report outlines series of RCMP failures in botched Amber Tuccaro investigation". Toronto Star. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
  8. ^ Short, Dylan (25 July 2019). "'Not our best work': RCMP issues official apology to the family of Amber Tuccaro". Edmonton Journal. Retrieved 15 August 2021.

External links[]

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