Montreal police continued searching backyards and going door to door on Saturday in the search for a missing 10-year-old boy, as his family continued to plead for his safe return.
Ariel Jeffrey Kouakou’s father said the family was offering a $10,000 reward to the person who could help them find their son and urged anyone with information to contact police.
“Every detail is important, even the smallest detail can be important,” Frederic Kouakou told reporters on Saturday.
Kouakou was last seen on Monday, when he left his home in the city’s Ahuntsic-Cartierville district to go to a friend’s house.
While the family believes he was abducted, police said they’ve found little direct evidence to suggest what happened to him and they’re considering all the possibilities.
Officers have used boats, horses, a helicopter and all-terrain vehicles to search a river and a wooded riverside park where someone matching Kouakou’s description was last seen at about 2 p.m. on Monday.
They’ve also been searching homes, interviewing witnesses and reviewing security camera footage as well as more than 120 tips from the public.
Police spokeswoman Andree-Anne Picard said officers expected to finish going door to door on Saturday.
After that, they will likely expand the search perimeter, she said in a phone interview.
On Friday night, several dozen people held a candlelight vigil and short march that ended in front of the family’s home.
Hours earlier, the boy’s mother spoke to reporters, where she appeared unsteady on her feet as she made an emotional plea for her son’s return.
“It’s been four days that I can’t sleep, I miss my son,” she said, flanked by family members who held her arms to support her.
“Help me find my son, I’m begging you,” she said a moment later.
Morgan Lowrie, The Canadian Press
