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Search underway for missing Trois Rivieres girl Updated Wed. Aug. 1 2007 3:12 PM ET CTV.ca News Staff Authorities in Trois Rivieres, Que. have found the bicycle of a nine-year-old girl who didn't return from a Tuesday night ride, but they still haven't located her. Cedrika Provencher had been expected to be home by 8:30 p.m. Police have set up a command post and are leading the search, aided by dozens of volunteers and a helicopter, CTV Montreal reported Wednesday. Reporter Tania Krywiak said the girl was last seen about 8 p.m. Tuesday night. Police say a neighbour saw her and that the girl had asked about a lost black dog. About an hour before that, another person told police that Cedrika had asked about a lost dog, she said. "At this point we know that the family doesn't own (a dog)," Krywiak said. Police are currently trying to concentrate on finding Cedrika. They have been going door-to-door, and they are also searching a wooded area behind the homes near the St. Maurice River, she said. "Those places are the kind of place where you can ride your bike or take a walk, if you want. But it's not an official place, it's a wood," said Const. Michel Letarte of the Trois Rivieres police. Family members say Cedrika is a shy little girl who is always home on time, Krywiak said. Hopes that perhaps she ended up at a friend's house for an impromptu sleepover are fading, she said. Updated Thu. Aug. 2 2007 10:37 PM ET CTV.ca News Staff Quebec provincial police have taken over the search for a nine-year-old girl, who appears to have disappeared while searching for a missing dog. Cedrika Provencher went missing Tuesday night in Trois-Rivieres, a community located halfway between Montreal and Quebec City. Almost 400 people helped in the search Thursday, knocking on doors and walking through wooded areas. So far, only Cedrika's bicycle has been found. A group of teens found the bike abandoned on a street around 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, close to where the little girl was last seen. They then moved it to an apartment building more than a kilometre from the girl's home and stashed it behind some large garbage cans. Cedrika was last seen by two of her neighbours around 8 p.m. on Tuesday. She told them she was looking for a missing dog, possibly at the request of an unidentified woman. Police are now searching for that woman, but have not commented on whether Cedrika may have been abducted. "No theories are being ruled out," Pierre Rivard, a Quebec provincial police spokesman, told The Canadian Press. "That's why we're putting an emphasis on the investigative effort. "We will have 30 investigators in the field to look for clues and check the information we are getting. On the other hand, this isn't taking away from the search effort." Family and friends of the little girl have collected money from companies and the public, and are offering a $20,000 reward for information on Cedrika's whereabouts. "She didn't do anything to deserve this," said Guy McKenzie, a family friend speaking in French. "Someone, somewhere is really disturbed to do this." Police are searching for any items the girl was wearing at the time, including a ladybug necklace, a black and pink watch or a red bike helmet. They're also checking to see if any registered sex offenders live in the neighbourhood and will go door-to-door to see if any residents have any information. Cedrika's family said the girl always came home on time. She was supposed to return on Tuesday at 8:15 p.m., and her mother phoned police at 9 p.m. "We are looking for clues which will eventually enable us to take this investigation in one direction or another," said Rivard. "At this moment, we have very few elements which will give a direction to the case." With files from The Canadian Press. Que. cops look for man who spoke with missing girl Updated Fri. Aug. 3 2007 10:04 PM ET CTV.ca News Staff Quebec police are still treating the disappearance of a nine-year-old girl as a missing person case, but say there's a likelihood she was kidnapped by a man who asked her to help find a dog. Cedrika Provencher was last seen Tuesday evening in her Trois-Rivieres neighbourhood, asking neighbours if they could help her find the animal. But she doesn't own a pet and police believe a man may have first asked her to help him look. "At this point, police aren't necessarily calling it a kidnapping," CTV Montreal's Tania Krywiak told Newsnet. "But they keep saying anything and everything is possible, and kidnapping looks to be a strong possibility." Just days before Cedrika went missing, another girl reported a man had come up to her and asked her to look for a dog as well, said provincial police spokesman Pierre Rivard. While this could be a lead, police don't have enough physical details about the man to create a composite sketch, and are asking anyone else with information to come forward. Rivard said parents may have been told something by their children and they should "not hesitate to contact police immediately." They should also ask their kids if they had been approached by a man recently. One woman said that her 13-year-old babysitter was recently approached by a man who insisted the girl swim in his pool. The woman later chased him away. Cedrika is a responsible little girl who would never come home late, never mind run away, her parents have said. She was also described as friendly girl who wouldn't hesitate to help someone. "She's full of life, she's a wonderful girl, and all I want to do now is hug my little girl," said Cedrika's distraught father, Martin Provencher. About 500 volunteers initially came out to help police search the area. But on Thursday the search was officially taken over by Surete du Quebec, the provincial police, who thanked the public but said no more volunteers were needed. Investigators said more specific training and expertise is now needed to conduct the search. On Friday, a canine squad and boats went up and down the river to look for clues. Helicopters were also deployed to the area. Police are also looking into some of the data they have on registered sex offenders living in or around the community. Pina Arcamone, with Enfant-Retour Quebec (Missing Children's Network Canada), said it's rare for a child to be abducted by a stranger, making up just one per cent of all cases. However, when it does happen, the perpetrators will familiarize themselves with the community. "They are often on the lookout for children who are traveling on their own in a secluded area where they might draw less attention," she said. "Those are the patterns we usually see." Former Toronto police officer and CTV police analyst John Muise said parents need to educate their kids on some of the tactics used by predators. Before, kids were warned about taking candy from strangers, today predators are luring kids with lost puppies and hurt family members who need their help, he said. Parents should teach kids how to react when confronted by a stranger, he said. They should try their best to get away by either screaming or running away to a neighbour's house they know. With reports from CTV's Genevieve Beauchemin, CTV Montreal's Tania Krywiak and The Canadian Press Search continues for missing Quebec girlUpdated Sat. Aug. 4 2007 7:07 PM ETCanadian Press MONTREAL -- The search for a missing nine-year-old Quebec girl resumed today with provincial police leading the way. Cedrika Provencher disappeared Tuesday from her suburban neighbourhood in Trois-Rivieres, Que., about 140 kilometres northeast of Montreal. Police are following more than 200 tips from the public. Earlier this week, hundreds of volunteers scoured wooded areas and knocked on doors to look for the girl. Sgt. Isabelle Gendron says investigators are examining files on known pedophiles who live in the region. Police are looking for a mystery man who approached at least one local child asking for help to find his lost black and white dog. Cedrika was last seen riding her bike four days ago, asking area residents if they had seen a missing dog. Police say her disappearance is being treated as a missing person case for the time being. Father of Que. missing girl pleads for informationUpdated Sun. Aug. 5 2007 2:19 PM ETCanadian Press MONTREAL -- The father of a missing nine-year-old girl is calling on the public to come forward with any information about his daughter's whereabouts. Martin Provencher told reporters today that his daughter Cedrika may have been kidnapped and he is urging her captors to leave her on a street corner. Quebec police resumed their search for the missing girl this morning in Trois-Rivieres, Que., about 140 kilometres northeast of Montreal. Authorities say they have received hundreds of tips in recent days and are now focusing on information about vehicles. They suspect the girl was abducted by a man who asked for her help in finding a lost dog. Cedrika Provencher disappeared at about 8 p.m. Tuesday from her neighbourhood in Trois-Rivieres. Missing girl case focuses on man with 'lost' dogUpdated Mon. Aug. 6 2007 9:48 PM ETCTV.ca News Staff Quebec police searching for a missing nine-year-old say three young Trois Rivieres girls have similar stories of a stranger asking them to help find a missing dog.Some sightings even happened the day Cedrika Provencher vanished from her neighbourhood. Investigators are now trying to piece together a description of a suspect but have only sketchy details to go on. The man has been described as white, between the ages of 30 and 60. They are also focusing on information about vehicles.They have assembled replicas of everything Cedrika was wearing, hoping that could trigger a potential witness's memory. Cedrika has been gone since July 31, and police are sifting through some 500 tips that have poured in from the public. On Tuesday, the day Cedrika went missing, two of her neighbours reported talking with her as the little girl enjoyed a bike ride at around 8 p.m. Cedrika asked them to help her find a lost little black dog. A group of teens later found her bicycle abandoned close to where her neighbours spotted her, around 8:30 p.m. Police have said they believe that whatever happened to Cedrika happened during that half-hour time frame. Authorities are urging parents to ask their daughters if they too have been approached by a man in recent weeks. "Maybe he was approaching lots of young girls around here," said Isabelle Gendron of the Surete du Quebec."That's why we're asking mothers, fathers tonight to ask your little girl, 'were you approached by a man looking for a dog?'"In the meantime, police divers searched the nearby St. Maurice River for traces of the missing girl.Cedrika's father, Martin Provencher, spoke with the media Sunday, pleading to the public not to give up searching for his daughter. He said if his daughter had indeed been taken by a stranger, he wants the kidnappers to leave her on a street corner where someone would surely find her and take her home. Melissa Provencher, Cedrika's big sister, also pleaded with whoever took her little sister to please return her safely."I would like for the person who took her to be generous enough to bring her back to me."With a report from CTV's Genevieve Beauchemin and files from The Canadian Press. Police ask motorists for info on missing Que. girlUpdated Tue. Aug. 7 2007 5:05 PM ETCTV.ca News Staff Quebec police have begun to use checkpoints in Trois-Rivieres to canvass motorists for information on a nine-year-old girl that has been missing from the community for a week. They are also setting up a mobile command post at a local school and are sending divers into the Saint-Maurice River to search for clues. Cedrika Provencher went missing last Tuesday during an early evening bike ride. Her neighbours told police she had asked them for help in looking for a lost dog around 8 p.m. She hasn't been seen since. The checkpoints will be set up between 5 p.m. and 9 p.m. tonight "at the same place that Cedrika was last seen," Const. Isabelle Gendron, of the Sûreté Quebec, told CTV Newsnet. Gendron said up to 50 police officers are still on the ground looking for information, as well as meeting with residents and witnesses "that could lead us to something." "We are hoping to find or ask people that maybe aren't living in the neighbourhood here, but use this street to go somewhere else, and maybe those people were there last week," said Gendron. "We're trying to locate those people and maybe they have some information that could interest us." Gendron said despite receiving over 100 tips from the public, police have received no clues that could help lead them to the little girl who's been missing for over a week. Since Provencher's disappearance, three more little girls have told police they had been approached by an unknown man, who asked them for help looking for a dog in the same week Cedrika went missing. Police are asking parents to check with their daughters to see if they too have been approached. About 100 tips a day keep pouring in from the public. Between 50 and 60 police investigators are carefully combing through hundreds of leads. While they are searching for the man with the "lost" dog, all they have is a vague description of a white male, between the ages of 30 and 60 years old. It's not enough to release a composite sketch. "The perception at this age is always different than an adult. So we need to have some more information, and perhaps with other little girls, maybe we're able to give something more concrete," Gendron told CTV Montreal. Authorities are still referring to the case as a search for a missing person but they are considering the theory she may have been kidnapped. Nonetheless, they are also looking into the registered sex offender database for potential offenders who might live in the area. "It's part of the investigation, but so far, there is nothing to lead us to someone who could be a suspect," said Gendron. "We keep searching and we're very hard, day and night. So lots of investigators are still on the scene and doing their work, hoping to find something that could lead us to the little girl who is still missing." With a report from CTV Montreal's Tania Krywiak. Volunteers help search for missing 9-year-old girlUpdated Wed. Aug. 8 2007 7:28 PM ETCTV.ca News Staff Eight days after nine-year-old Cedrika Provencher vanished from a Quebec community, a small army of volunteers took part Wednesday in a family-organized search. Cedrika's father, Martin Provencher, was moved to tears as more than 100 people searched a wooded area near a highway in Trois-Rivieres. "I'm truly touched, truly touched," he said. The search was done independently from police, but Provencher said he had spoken to investigators and made sure the group would not hinder their efforts. Quebec Provincial Police took over the search for Cedrika late last week. While police examined land along the banks of the St. Maurice River Wednesday, volunteers focused on an area near a section of Highway 55. Among the volunteers helping the Provencher family was Rejean Dion, whose 11-year-old son died years ago. "I'm asking my son to guide me so we can find Cedrika," he told CTV Montreal. Another volunteer, Michael Haley, said he hoped to find any clue that would help police find the little girl. "We're all here together to see what we can do," he said. "We don't know what we can find, but we're trying to find something." Meanwhile, detectives continue to investigate reports Cedrika had been asked by a man to search for a lost dog. Other girls have come forward saying they were also asked to help find the animal, but police lack enough details to release a composite sketch of the man. Late Tuesday, police set up a road-block in Cedrika's neighbourhood to stop motorists and ask if they had seen any suspicious activity. "We don't have a strong lead in this investigation, we don't know where she is, so we're looking for more information," said Quebec provincial police spokeswoman Isabelle Gendron. She added that investigators "verify every detail we receive." Provencher has vowed to keep searching, and has pleaded for his daughter's safety. "She has a life to live," he said. Businesses and charity group have raised a $50,000 reward for key information that would help solve the case. With a report from CTV Montreal's Annie DeMelt and files from The Canadian Press. Missing girl's father wants Canadian Forces' helpUpdated Thu. Aug. 9 2007 10:10 PM ETCTV.ca News Staff The father of a little Quebec girl missing for more than a week says he wants the Canadian Forces to become involved in the search. Martin Provencher has asked two men whose daughters were either murdered or abducted to use their contacts in the federal government to have the army called in to help find nine-year-old Cedrika Provencher, who disappeared July 31. Pierre-Hugues Boisvenu's daughter Julie went missing in 2002 and was found murdered nine days later, while Michel Surprenant's daughter Julie has been missing since 1999. Both men are now victims' rights advocates -- members of an association representing families that have been affected by the murder or disappearance of relatives. Boisvenu and Surprenant were in Trois-Rivieres on Thursday to lend their support to Provencher. "They told me to stay strong and to never give up," said Provencher. Boisvenu said it's important for Provencher to focus on the search, but to prepare himself for any outcome that could occur, "whether it's good or bad." "The more you share, the less (burden) you have on your shoulders,'' he added at a news conference. "I said it when Julie was killed, and sorry if I keep coming back to this, but we noticed at one point that our sorrow had been taken over by the public.'' About 50 police officers and volunteers, meanwhile, continue to search for Cedrika. Police believe Cedrika disappeared shortly after she told two people she was helping a man find his lost dog. Authorities also said Thursday that clothes found in the search did not belong to the girl. With reports from The Canadian Press and CTV Montreal's Tania Krywiak in Trois Rivieres. Ground searches put on hold in search for Que. girlUpdated Fri. Aug. 10 2007 7:09 PM ETCanadian Press TROIS-RIVIERES, Que. -- Quebec provincial police have essentially stopped ground searches for a missing nine-year-old girl who disappeared two weeks ago. Although some searchers with specially trained dogs will continue their work, police said Friday that mass searches like those carried out during the last two weeks will only be conducted if developments warrant. Police are searching for Cedrika Provencher, who disappeared almost two weeks ago. Quebec provincial police spokesman Richard Gagne said Friday officers are following leads they hope will lead them to Provencher, who disappeared on July 31. Police have said they believe the girl was approached by a man looking for a lost dog. The search has mobilized the people in the small city of Trois-Rivieres, midway between Montreal and Quebec City, with hundreds of volunteers searching for the girl and handing out posters with pictures of her.Billboards with the girl's face on them continue to go up in the area around Trois-Rivieres and posters have been put up across the province, including in Montreal subway stations. Clairvoyants have also offered their help to police. A provincial police command post in a local school will remain open at least through the weekend, police said. Cedrika's father, Martin Provencher, says he still hopes to find his daughter unharmed. He told Radio-Canada that his message to his daughter is to hang on because he and others are looking for her. Police didn't circulate photo of girl at border Updated Sat. Aug. 11 2007 7:59 AM ETCanadian Press TROIS-RIVIERES, Que. -- Quebec provincial police acknowledged Friday they circulated a description of a missing child at Canadian and U.S. border points but not her picture. Richard Gagne, a Quebec provincial police spokesman, said the force transmitted a picture of Cedrika Provencher, who has been missing almost two weeks, to border agencies on Friday. Quebec provincial police have essentially stopped ground searches for Cedrika, who vanished on July 31. Although some searchers with specially trained dogs will continue their work, police said Friday that mass searches like those carried out during the last two weeks will only be conducted if developments warrant. Gagne said Friday officers are following solid leads they hope will lead them to the child. Police have said they believe the girl was approached by a man looking for a lost dog. The disappearance has mobilized the people in the small city of Trois-Rivieres, midway between Montreal and Quebec City, with hundreds of volunteers searching for the girl and handing out posters with pictures of her. Billboards with the girl's face on them continue to go up in the area around Trois-Rivieres and posters have been put up across the province, including in Montreal subway stations. Clairvoyants have also offered their help to police. A provincial police command post in a local school will remain open at least through the weekend, police said. Gagne said police will use the weekend to review the case. "A very precise effort will be made," Gagne said. "What we will do is sit down and look at all the work that has been done and where to direct our efforts in the next days." Gagne did acknowledge that manpower will likely be reduced in the next few days. Cedrika's father, Martin Provencher, says he still hopes to find his daughter unharmed. Missing Que. girl's father continues to hopeUpdated Sun. Aug. 12 2007 10:42 PM ETCanadian Press TROIS-RIVIERES, Que. -- The freckled faced of nine-year-old Cedrika Provencher peers out from just about every lamp post and store front in this picturesque Quebec town.It has been two weeks since Cedrika went missing -- every parent's worst nightmare and every community's greatest fear.Celebrations at the community's annual family day stopped for a moment of silence on Sunday and residents gathered for an evening march in her honour."It's the first time something like this has happened here and I hope it's the last,'' said Ricardo Vargas, as he watched his children playing soccer. Police have suspended their ground search but Cedrika's father, Martin, said volunteers will fan out again Monday morning."We'll continue,'' Provencher told The Canadian Press.He and Cedrika's mother attended the annual family day, where they were stopped by friends and strangers alike who offered hugs and support.Provencher said the family, which includes Cedrika's 11-year-old sister, is trying to go on."We're trying to keep our morale up,'' he said. "We have a lot of hope.''Police said the ground search is on hold for now because teams have scoured the entire area.Provincial police spokesman Richard Gagne said police will re-evaluate on Monday the information they have in hand and decide how to proceed."It (the search) is over quite simply because there is no ground left to cover,'' Gagne said Sunday at the police command post set up not far from where Cedrika was last seen."For the moment, it's over.''Gagne said there are more than a dozen police following up on tips in the investigation. He said calls have slowed since the first few days after Cedrika disappeared, but there are still calls coming in.Cedrika was last seen around 8 p.m. on July 31, not far from her home.Witnesses have said she was looking for a dog, and three other young girls have since come forward to say a man approached them to help look for a lost dog.The disappearance has taken its toll on Trois-Rivieres, a small city on the banks of the St. Lawrence River halfway between Montreal and Quebec City.Several of the city playgrounds were empty on a sunny summer day. At a local soccer field, parents nearly outnumbered children during a weekend soccer game.Resident David Morin said the sad case hits home with all parents."We share their tears,'' Morin said after tucking his son into a car seat at the family day celebration."You can understand what any parent would feel if they lost a child. We follow our children every time they leave the house. We stay close,'' he said.Cedrika's grandfather, Henri Provencher, said the volunteers will paper the area with missing posters to make sure every person in the area know's Cedrika's face.He said Cedrika, who is wearing her girl guide uniform in one of the missing posters, was a sweet girl liked by everyone."She was kind, almost to an extreme,'' Henri Provencher told The Canadian Press. "She loved helping people. If it's a kidnapping, as we believe right now, that's probably what drew her in, helping someone, like she did all the time. She was really our little `love bug.'''
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