Police say boy likely fell into river

Montreal police say they believe a boy who has been missing for 10 days more than likely fell into a river.

Insp. Ian Lafreniere says 10-yearold Ariel Jeffrey Kouakou was last seen near the Riviere des Prairies and that there are no images of him elsewhere after that.

The boy’s father has repeatedly said he believes his son was abducted and that he would never have gone to the river. Police divers searched the river on six different occasions this week but found no clues. The investigation is continuing. The boy left his home in the city’s north end on March 12 to visit a friend’s house.

“I can’t say with absolute certainty it was an accident but what I can say is that it is the No. 1 hypothesis,” Lafreniere said. Besides the diving, police have gone door to door in the neighbourhood and used horses, the canine unit, all-terrain vehicles and a helicopter to search the area.