Abducted Canadian Boy Returned Home Unharmed
ABC News’ Olivia Katrandjian reports:
A 3-year-old Canadian boy was returned unharmed to his home four days after he was abducted in Sparwood, British Columbia, according to police.
Police received an anonymous phone call at 3 a.m. Sunday morning alerting them that the missing boy, Kienan Hebert, could be found in his home.
Officers arrived to find the boy sitting alone on a couch with a blanket, appearing happy and unharmed, according to CTV News, but he was taken to the hospital to be examined as a precaution.
Investigators believe the suspected kidnapper returned the boy to his home, Royal Canadian Mounted Police Cpl. Dan Moskaluk told CTV News.
“We’ve got a child back. We’ve got a child returned. I’ve never been able to say that,” Moskaluk said. “Half of this is over now.”
Since the boy went missing, the home has been cordoned off and unoccupied, as Kienan’s parents moved into a neighbor’s home.
Police are now searching for the suspect.
The only suspect identified in the case is Randall Hopley, a 46-year-old convicted sex offender from the Sparwood area who has at least 11 assault and burglary convictions. Hopley is also charged with squatting for months last year in a cabin filled with stolen children’s clothing, chocolate bars and sex toys, according to CTV News.
Hopley has at least 11 assault and burglary convictions, and was also accused of attempting to abduct and molest a Sparwood boy in 2007, according to CTV News.
For now, community members, many of whom have spent days searching for Kienan, said they are relieved by the surprise return.
“It’s like nothing ever happened,” Paul Hebert, the boy’s father, told CTV News.
“It’s just like having a miracle happen,” Sparwood acting mayor Sharon Fraser told the Vancouver Sun.
“The sun’s shining so beautifully bright because this little guy’s found,” Fraser said. “The children are laughing and playing. What more could you ask for?”