Toronto police have boosted patrols in a north Toronto neighbourhood after a four-year-old girl was allegedly abducted and sexually assaulted earlier this week. Police had expressed concerns that the suspect might strike again, prompting the extra police presence and a command post in the area.
Detective Sergeant LeeAnn Papizewski, the case manager with the sex crimes unit, said a large team has been dedicated to solving this crime and finding the perpetrator.
"It is not a common call that we have received for our service and is in fact very rare," she said at a news conference Wednesday.
The girl was found by her family shortly after she went missing from her home in the Bathurst Street and Wilson Avenue early Monday morning. The girl had been visiting Toronto from Connecticut to celebrate Hanukkah with her grandparents, but police would not say if she had left the city now.
The stranger apparently sexually assaulted the child before taking her from the house. Family members located her within minutes and saw him fleeing.
Toronto police are searching for a suspect, who is believed to have entered the house between 3 and 3:30 a.m., although Det. Sgt. Papizewski would not say how he got in.
Det. Sgt. Papizewski said police have a "wealth of information" to go through after their initial canvass of the neighbourhood. She also asked neighbours who have home surveillance video to share it with the investigating team.
Police are looking for a white male, 19 to 20 years old, with an a medium build and between 5-feet-6 inches and 5-feet-10 inches tall. He was last seen wearing a blue jacket or sweatshirt with a red stripe. He was possibly wearing a blue toque with a stripe or a hat.