Mounties have confirmed that three-year-old Kienan Hebert was abducted from his family home in Sparwood, B.C. this week – hours after a failed child abduction attempt in the same community.
At a Saturday press conference, Cpl. Dan Moskaluk revealed for the first time that investigators believe someone entered the Hebert home overnight on Tuesday and "removed Kienan from the house."
Investigators previously said Kienan might have left the home himself while walking in his sleep.
Moskaluk also confirmed there was an attempted child abduction the same night, but few other details have been released. Police have not revealed when the attempt was reported, but say it came to light during the investigation of Kienan's disappearance.
Kienan's parents also appeared at the press conference, where father Paul begged for the safe return of his son.
"Please, bring Kienan to a safe place right now, okay, like a gas station or a store parking lot where he's visibly seen and you can drop him off," Hebert said. "We just want him safe."
He added that Kienan, being three years old, would be unable to provide useful information to police.
"He can't tell us who you are, right? This is your chance, right now, to get away. All we want is Kienan to come back with us and to be safe in our arms again."
The boy has not been seen since his parents put him to bed Tuesday night.
Saturday's update came hours after Mounties in Alberta confirmed they are actively assisting in the search for Kienan, and that an Ambert Alert had been extended into the province.
The alert comes three days after the boy was declared missing from his home, which sits 20 minutes away from the Prairie province's western border.
Police and volunteers in British Columbia have spent the latter half of the week searching for the boy in wooded areas and other locations around the mountainous province. So far, the search has been unsuccessful.
As the search for Kienan continues, investigators are also hunting for a convicted sex offender who has been identified as a person of interest in the case.
Manhunt continues
Mounties in B.C. say they're searching for 46-year-old fugitive Randall Hopley, who is also from Sparwood. Police confirmed early on that Hopley is not related to Kienan.
Investigators, however, have not yet explained why Hopley is suspected in the toddler's disappearance.
Hopley is charged with squatting for months last year in a cabin in Crowsnest Pass, filling the drawers with stolen children's clothing, chocolate bars and sex toys.
He has at least 11 assault and burglary convictions, and was also accused of attempting to abduct and molest a Sparwood boy in 2007. He was convicted of sexual assault in 1985.
On Friday, Hopley's mother called on him to surrender to police.
Margaret Fink told CTV News that she hadn't seen Hopley for about a year until he visited her home last Tuesday, hours before Kienan went missing.
"If he has the boy, I just hope he hasn't done anything with him," Fink said in a tearful appeal before urging her son to surrender to police.
He is described as a Caucasian male with brown hair, hazel eyes and a birthmark along his hairline.
Hopley is believed to be driving a brown 1987 Toyota Camry with the licence plate 098RAL. Police are telling the public not to approach Hopley's vehicle if they see it.
Mounties say tips have been pouring in, but no sightings have yet been confirmed.
On Thursday, a source told CTV News that they viewed surveillance video footage showing Hopley and Kienan together, but the RCMP have denied the claim.
Anyone with information about the whereabouts of Kienan, Hopley or his vehicle is asked to call 911 immediately.
With files from CTV.ca and The Canadian Press
