NO LET-UP IN HUNT FOR MISSING ARIEL
Police continue combing shoreline in search for 10-year-old boy
Although Montreal police suspect that Ariel Jeffrey Kouakou drowned in Rivière des Prairies two weeks ago, dozens of volunteers turned up on Sunday to continue the search for the missing 10-year-old boy.
Searches were carried out in local strip malls and behind buildings in Montreal’s Ahuntsic-Cartierville neighbourhood, while police officers continued to search along the shoreline of Rivière des Prairies.
Ariel disappeared on March 12 while walking home from a friend’s house. A woman, whom police described as a credible witness, spoke to the boy in Bateliers Park on the day he went missing.
Last week, Montreal police said they were convinced Ariel headed to the park after realizing his friend wasn’t home, and that he drowned in Rivière des Prairies after getting too close to the snowcovered waterfront.
Police will continue searching along the shore this week, said Const. Jean-Pierre Brabant, a spokesperson for the Montreal police.
He said police are considering whether to use boats equipped with sonar and a Sûreté du Québec helicopter to try to find the boy.
On Saturday night, about 200 people gathered in a local church to bring a message of hope to the missing boy’s family during a candlelight vigil.
Ariel’s father, Kouadio Frédéric Kouakou, has repeatedly said he believes his son was abducted because he doesn’t believe Ariel would have gone close to the river by himself.
Anyone with information about Ariel is urged to call 911 or InfoCrime at 514-393-1133. He stands 4-foot-7 and weighs about 90 pounds.
When last seen he was wearing a black hooded coat, grey pants and yellow shoes.