Police in Abbotsford are searching for a man who was seen picking up a young girl lying on the side of the road and carrying her into a wooded area.
A driver called police after seeing the incident near Enterprise Avenue and McCallum Road at about 6:20 p.m. Tuesday night. The driver said he was concerned because the girl, believed to be between six and 10 years old, didn't look like she was moving.
On Wednesday morning, Abbotsford police Const. Ian MacDonald said witnesses had reported seeing the girl and the man together before the incident. She didn't appear distressed and the man didn’t appear agitated, he said.
“They’re likely associated to each other,” MacDonald said. “It could be a parent or guardian to child relationship.”
Abbotsford Police and a search and rescue crew searched the area “extensively” on Tuesday night but found no sign of the man or the girl.
He is described as white, in his 40s, with curly brown hair, wearing a dark jean jacket and jeans.
She is described as wearing a pink jacket.
MacDonald said police don’t believe the incident was an abduction by a stranger, but they still have some concerns.
“We still want to verify the well-being of this young girl,” he said. “We have people that saw them together prior to the driver going by and witnessing and calling police, but we don’t have any reported sightings after that.”
MacDonald encouraged the man to come forward with the “other side” of the story.
“Based on what we have right now, it’s not looking like a worst-case scenario, but we can’t rule it out until we can actually make contact with the adult male and specifically with this young girl,” he said.
Anyone with information about this case can call police at 604-859-5225.
