Yukon RCMP describe suspect wanted in kidnapping investigation
9-year-old girl was reported missing by her parents on Sunday night and then found an hour later
RCMP in Whitehorse have issued a description of the suspect wanted in connection with an alleged kidnapping on Sunday in the Porter Creek neighbourhood.
Police say a nine-year-old girl was reported missing on Sunday evening by her parents in Porter Creek. RCMP provided an update to the investigation on Tuesday afternoon.
Police say the child was playing at a playground with other children on Sunday and then walked home by herself. When she didn't arrive home by 9:30 p.m. as expected, her parents, family and other neighbours went looking for her in the neighbourhood. They reported her missing to police just before 10 p.m.
The child was found by her parents in the same neighbourhood, where she was last seen, just after 11 p.m.
Police learned that the child had been forced into a vehicle by a stranger while walking along Grove Street. There was another young child in the vehicle who police believe was a relative of the suspect or known to them.
Police are describing the incident as a kidnapping and they're asking anybody with information to contact them. They're also looking for any residential or dash cam footage from Porter Creek on Sunday evening between 8 p.m. and 11:30 p.m.
RCMP are asking for help to identify the suspect, who is described as a Caucasian man of medium build, with light skin, blue eyes, and medium to long reddish-coloured hair. He also has a number of tattoos, according to police, including a sun-shaped tattoo on his neck, a heart on his hand, and other tattoos on both arms.
Police do not have an exact description of the vehicle. They say it was a smaller vehicle that may have been an SUV, and could be blue or grey in colour.
Police are also advising people who may know the suspect or someone who matches the description to not approach them and instead contact police.
They're also asking people to provide any information about the alleged kidnapping to contact police directly and to not share it on social media.
"RCMP are aware this information is being shared on social media, and want to caution on the risks to the investigation and sharing details publicly," said RCMP spokesperson Calista MacLeod.
"If you have information to provide, please, please call the RCMP and share this information with us directly."
Police have not provided any other details about the incident. On Monday, they told CBC that investigators needed time to "speak to this child in a trauma-informed way."
The RCMP Major Crime Unit and Specialized Response Unit are leading the investigation.
Anyone with information can contact police at 867-667-8555
With files from Gabrielle Plonka