A woman from the west coast is planning to take legal action against the RCMP after she claims they entered her home without their knowledge and began questioning her 11-year-old daughter in the middle of the night.

The incident in question happened early Sunday morning. According to the RCMP, they received a missing person report related to a 17-year-old girl just before 4:30 a.m.

They say information from a complainant lead them to a home, and after a “sustained period of knocking, doorbell ringing and verbal communication,” they entered the home through an unlocked door, verbally announcing their presence. The homeowner was then awakened and confirmed the missing girl wasn’t there.

That’s not how resident Cortney Pike says the situation went down.

She claims the police did not knock because their dog would have barked, and they were unaware of the officers’ presence. She alleges the officers went into her daughter’s room, questioned her about the missing girl, and did not have a warrant.

As for the missing girl, Pike says she cannot find any connections that would lead police to her house.

She has contacted a lawyer.

RCMP say they have the authority to enter a dwelling without a warrant under certain circumstances involving public safety or the safety of an individual.

That authority is supported by a Supreme Court ruling R v Godoy, [1999] 1 S.C.E. 311