They’re not ready to give up
MONTREAL — Police and volunteers are continuing the search for a missing 10-year-old Montreal boy with the help of a specially trained dog on loan from the Nova Scotia RCMP.
The search for Ariel Jeffrey Kouakou resumed at about 8 a.m. Friday near the shores of the Rivieres des Prairies with the dog that specializes in ice and water searches.
Meanwhile, a boat belonging to Hydro-Quebec is once again cruising along the shores of the river and breaking up the ice.
Montreal police divers have also been searching the river, but it was unclear whether they would be in the water again Friday. Ariel left his family’s home in the city's north end on March 12 to visit a friend’s house, and a witness spotted someone matching his description in the park near the river shortly after.
Dozens of community volunteers spent the Easter weekend helping with the search.
Police believe he most likely fell in the water and drowned.
But Ariel’s father has repeatedly said he believes his son was abducted and that he would never have gone to the river.
Kouadio Frédéric Kouakou said he was “astonished” to hear about the police theory, which he learned about through the media.
“For me, it’s confusion, because my family and I, until proof to the contrary, maintain the theory of abduction,” he told reporters.
He called on police and volunteers to “keep the flame” and to continue to investigate the possibility his son could be alive.
“We still haven’t reached our objective, which is to find Ariel,” he said.
Anyone with information about Ariel Kouakou is urged to call 911 or Info-Crime at 514-393-1133.