A nine-year old girl was walking home alone after playing with other kids at a playground in Whitehorse鈥檚 Porter Creek neighbourhood on the evening of July 20 when an unknown man allegedly forcefully abducted her, Yukon RCMP spokesperson Sgt. Calista MacLeod told reporters at a July 22 press conference.
MacLeod said the child was expected to be home around 9:30 p.m. that Sunday night, but when she didn鈥檛 arrive, her parents and family went looking for her. Then neighbours joined in the search. She was reported missing to RCMP at 9:53 p.m. on July 20, according to police.
By 11:06 p.m. that same night, police were notified that the child had been found in the same neighbourhood where she was last seen, per MacLeod.
鈥淚t was discovered that the child was forced into a vehicle while walking along Grove Street," MacLeod said.
"Police are investigating this incident as a kidnapping, and to respect the integrity of the investigation, police will not release any further details about the offence at this time."
During the press conference, MacLeod declined to state whether the child was physically harmed.
Police remain on the lookout for the man.
MacLeod said police don鈥檛 know his identity and whether he is from the Yukon or outside the territory.
During the press conference, MacLeod reiterated the suspect description: A white man with light skin and a medium build. He is described as having blue eyes, medium-to-long reddish-coloured hair and red facial hair.
MacLeod said RCMP is working to identify the vehicle, which they described as a smaller vehicle, possibly an SUV, that鈥檚 blue or gray in colour.
Police learned there was another young child in the vehicle with the man at the time of the reported abduction of the nine-year-old girl. The other child is believed to be known or related to the suspect, according to MacLeod. She said police are interested in finding the alleged abductor and looking into the safety of the other child.
While some family members in Facebook posts early on July 21, police didn鈥檛 release similar details until late on the evening of July 21.
RCMP needed time to gather information from the child in a trauma-informed way while also protecting the integrity of the investigation, according to MacLeod. She said releasing information too early can potentially compromise evidence, influence witnesses, impact legal proceedings and put people in danger.
鈥淩CMP are aware this information is being shared on social media and want to caution on the risks to the investigation,鈥� MacLeod said.
鈥淚f you have information to provide, please call the RCMP and share this information with us directly. This will help to ensure that the investigators have captured all available information and all leads have been followed up on.鈥�
With the Major Crime Unit, Specialized Response Unit and Whitehorse detachment officers working on the case, MacLeod said a lot of resources are assigned to it.
They are asking witnesses to come forward with information, particularly video footage from around 8 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. in Porter Creek on July 20. Businesses, residents and drivers are being asked to check their home security and dash-cam footage, then turn in anything that might help in the investigation.
Police have been canvassing the neighbourhood seeking out tips while also asking the public to submit tips directly to the RCMP.
MacLeod noted this is a 鈥渞are situation鈥� involving an alleged offence committed by a stranger.
鈥淲hile we encourage the public to remain aware and to report anything suspicious, there are some sensible kind of safety measures, I think, that parents and caregivers can consider in regards to their children,鈥� she said.
鈥淎ll children have a right to be safe in their communities, but I think it鈥檚 important for caregivers to consider, if they have not already, to have kind of those conversations, age-appropriate conversations, with their children, to educate them, not scare them, as far as some maybe information or tools that would help them keep them safe.鈥�
MacLeod suggested parents and caregivers help bring up childrens鈥� confidence levels and critical thinking skills to enable them in situations that may be dangerous or unknown to them.
Here are some key messages from police for parents and caregivers to consider discussing with children:
- Children should not go anywhere with any adult without permission from their trusted parents and caregivers.
- Know that responsible adults do not ask kids who are alone for help and know that it鈥檚 okay to not help an adult.
- Pick out and discuss safe places children can go to in the community to seek help, such as a store or a group of people.
- Remind children to 鈥渢rust their instincts鈥� in potentially unsafe situations.
- Remind children to tell a trusted adult about what鈥檚 going on in potentially unsafe situations.
- Devise a 鈥渇amily code word鈥� to use in an emergency. That be something that is only known by the child and the trusted adult. "It would be good to help have the child come up with that code word so that they know that only the person who knows that special code word is somebody that is trusted,鈥� MacLeod said.
Contact Dana Hatherly at dana.hatherly@yukon-news.com
