Mom Missing In Canadian Wilderness: Links to Far-Right Convoy Explained

A Canadian mom who vanished with her three children from Ontario in December has ties to a far-right anti-LGBTQ+ group.

An arrest warrant has been issued for Astrid Schiller, 55, on three counts of parental child abduction.

The Context

Schiller was reported missing from Ontario along with her boys—Leon, 12, Christopher, 11, and Thomas, 9—in December.

Her disappearance has sparked a nationwide search for the missing kids.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said the children are not in "imminent danger" following their disappearance but authorities have appealed to the public to report any sightings of Schiller and her children.

Officers detained Schiller after she attempted to enter the US from Boissevain, near the North Dakota border, on June 16.

The family was taken into care in Forrest, Manitobam, before police released the mom of three, citing the arrest warrant issued in Ontario didn't extend into the other province.

The children disappeared again from care on June 17 and police suspect Schiller had taken them once again.

What We Know

Stand4Thee is a right-wing group focused on fringe theories related to healthcare and education.

The group has been involved with the so-called Freedom Convoy in 2022, in which hundreds of vehicles in Canada protested COVID-19 restrictions in a convoy that converged on Ottawa and a so-called Save the Children Convoy in 2023, Press Progress reported in January.

Footage available from the group's Rumble account shows Schiller participating on a Zoom call in October 2023, the site reported.

The group opposes LBGTQ+ rights and participants discussed methods to oppose Sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) inclusive schools.

One of the leaders of Stand4Thee, Rebecca Sheppard, shared a "notice of liability" letter on the call for Schiller's son Leon.

The letter was directed to his school and stated that her child "will not engage in any discussions regarding sexual orientation or gender ideology" and will "not answer any questions regarding his gender nor his sexual identity to anyone at any time with no exceptions."

The letter also stated Schiller would pursue legal action against the school for $25,000 in damages over alleged "discrimination, breach of duty, negligence and criminal exploitation."

Schiller said on the call she has had multiple confrontations with school officials regarding an "intimate" questionnaire and she claimed her son felt "forced" to fill out the questionnaire and came home "extremely disturbed".

Schiller laughed as she described a "hilarious" confrontation with the school principal.

"The principal told me that this questionnaire is now in the file of my son, in the school file, and I thought: 'Excuse me?' This is nothing official, I did not give my consent, how do you dare. What?", Schiller said on the Zoom call.

She also complained about her child learning about pronouns in a music class.

What's Next

Authorities continue searching for Schiller and her missing children as more information comes to light surrounding her background.

"We are seeking the public's assistance to report any sightings of or interactions with Astrid Schiller and/or her children to contact police to report this," the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said in a statement.

Anyone with information surrounding the case has been asked to contact police as the search remains ongoing.