The father of 10-year-old Ariel Jeffrey Kouakou says the missing boy did not run away.
Kouadio Kouakou revealed that someone that matched his son's description was spotted on a surveillance video not far from where he disappeared — something which indicates that he did not run away, and that there may have been foul play involved.
Police say they don't believe that's likely, but the disappearance continues to be shrouded in mystery.
Ariel went missing from his neighborhood in Cartierville on Monday, which was a pedagogical day at his school. He told people he was going to visit a friend's house at around 12:30 that afternoon, but never made it.
On Tuesday, Ariel was briefly the subject of a province-wide Amber Alert — something that's usually declared in clear-cut cases of abduction, where police have reason to believe the victim's life may be in danger.
The Amber Alert led to about 70 tips, including one from a woman who said she saw someone matching Ariel's description at the nearby Bateliers Park just hours after he disappeared.
On Wednesday, police horses and dogs, and an ice rescue squad, were deployed in the search, and the search area was expanded along the river's edge from Cartierville all the way east to the Riviere-des-Prairies neighborhood.
Ariel is four feet, seven inches tall and weighs 88 pounds. He has black hair, dark eyes, dark skin and speaks French. He was last seen wearing a black hooded coat, grey pants and yellow soccer shoes.