GRAND FORKS, B.C. - The RCMP are defending efforts to find a slain 12-year-old autistic boy in southern British Columbia, as the boy's family asks why more wasn't done.
John Fulton was reported missing from his home in Grand Forks on Saturday, and his body was found Monday night in a neighbouring home.
The woman who police have said lives where the body was found, 42-year-old Kimberly Noyes, has been arrested and is still in custody, but the RCMP have said little else and no charges have been laid.
The family has questioned why police didn't issue an amber alert when they first learned the boy was missing, and says it took 20 hours before search-and-rescue crews were brought in.
But Cpl. Dan Moskaluk says efforts began that night with aerial and ground searches of the area - something that isn't normally done in missing-persons cases.
The Mounties also say the case didn't fit the criteria for an amber alert because there was no indication of an abduction and no suspect to alert the public about.
