CANADA Canada - Ariel Jeffrey Kouakou, 10, Montreal, 12 March 2018 #2

[dotr]

One year later: The search for Ariel Jeffrey Kouakou is not over
"Meanwhile, the public is invited to a mass celebrating Ariel’s life scheduled for Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. at Saint-Joseph-de-Bordeaux church on Viel St. in the borough of Ahuntsic-Cartierville.

In a statement posted on Monday by Missing Children’s Network director-general Pina Arcamone, Ariel’s parents, Fred and Noëlla Kouakou, expressed their thanks to the Montreal police department and the public for the support they have received over the past year.

“A missing child is every parent’s worst nightmare,” Arcamone wrote in the statement. “For the past year, we have been supporting Ariel’s family and truly understand the depth of their anguish. It is time to put an end to this unbearable sorrow — these parents need to know where their son is.”

 

[casesensitive]

Ariel's father has always been so respectful in his public statements regarding the Montreal police. His latest comment is to thank them for their support over the past year. I don't know if this is due to a courteous custom or his fear of alienating them. How have they supported him beyond lip service? He needs to stop being polite and demand action from them to resolve this case.

Did LE send in divers once the ice thawed to find his body possibly snagged by debris close to the shore?
Did LE regularly check the grid where his body would be snagged?
No they didn't because police action on the river would have been reported by the media, and LE would have given updates on their efforts.

Did LE interview every convicted pediophile living in the area?
The only statement from LE, 48 hours after Ariel went missing, was that they canvassed the neighbours and feel that he went into the river. That was their stance from the beginning, and any significant further investigation wasn't worth their time imo. They were wrong--Ariel never surfaced in the river after the thaw.

To quote the Missing Children's Network director-general "It is time to put an end to this unbearable sorrow--these parents need to know where their son is"--of course the only source who can find the answer is Montreal police, and other than looking initially in the river, and "canvassing neighbours", they haven't done squat imo. It is usual for police to acknowledge an anniversary of a missing person to bring the case to the public's attention, and to assure the public that they are still active in finding the missing person. Montreal police wouldn't even make a routine anniversary statement to update Ariel's disappearance and what they have done to find him, and to ask for the public's help.

What does that tell us? I just feel sick to know that as I suspected, and what became evident, Ariel didn't get the attention he deserved from police, and never will.

 

[rosesfromangels]

Mr and Mrs Kouakou are a class act.
They do not benefit in any way by alienating the authorities.

It is up to the community to continue to rally and respectfully request additional resource and focus to bring Ariel home.

Prayers for all concerned

 

[Eleanor Rigby]

Ariel's father has always been so respectful in his public statements regarding the Montreal police. His latest comment is to thank them for their support over the past year. I don't know if this is due to a courteous custom or his fear of alienating them. How have they supported him beyond lip service? He needs to stop being polite and demand action from them to resolve this case.

Did LE send in divers once the ice thawed to find his body possibly snagged by debris close to the shore?
Did LE regularly check the grid where his body would be snagged?
No they didn't because police action on the river would have been reported by the media, and LE would have given updates on their efforts.

Did LE interview every convicted pediophile living in the area?
The only statement from LE, 48 hours after Ariel went missing, was that they canvassed the neighbours and feel that he went into the river. That was their stance from the beginning, and any significant further investigation wasn't worth their time imo. They were wrong--Ariel never surfaced in the river after the thaw.

To quote the Missing Children's Network director-general "It is time to put an end to this unbearable sorrow--these parents need to know where their son is"--of course the only source who can find the answer is Montreal police, and other than looking initially in the river, and "canvassing neighbours", they haven't done squat imo. It is usual for police to acknowledge an anniversary of a missing person to bring the case to the public's attention, and to assure the public that they are still active in finding the missing person. Montreal police wouldn't even make a routine anniversary statement to update Ariel's disappearance and what they have done to find him, and to ask for the public's help.

What does that tell us? I just feel sick to know that as I suspected, and what became evident, Ariel didn't get the attention he deserved from police, and never will.

I totally agree with your sentiments--very well stated! Ever since the beginning, when Ariel's father went to his neighborhood police post to report Ariel missing and was sent home to "phone in" the report (WTH!), I have been sad and upset at the police attitude and lack of urgency. Additionally, the LE unwillingness to investigate seriously the possibility of abduction, in spite of the parents' pleas, was wrong, IMO. There was surveillance video of Ariel looking back as he walked on the street, as if he was being called to. That's more than enough, under the dire circumstances, I would think, to consider abduction more seriously and do more than "canvas neighbors."

I don't live in Montreal, and I'm not even Canadian, but I've been an ESL / ELL teacher in different parts of the U.S. for decades, and I have seen very often that immigrants, especially those of color or from certain ethnic and religious backgrounds, are not treated the same as non-immigrants.

If I were the parent of a missing child, I wouldn't have shown a fraction of the grace, composure and compliance of Ariel's dad. If a cop had refused to take the report of my missing child (a mere ten-year-old!) at the station and tried to send me home to phone it in, I would have gone ballistic. I would have been in battle mode from that moment on. I think the way Ariel's case has been handled is shameful and shocking. His poor parents! They have tried, but I think they needed to push back a lot harder against what I have perceived to be police complacency, arrogance, and perhaps anti-immigrant prejudice. This is not meant at all to sound anti-Canadian. I know it's what happens frequently, almost everywhere, to those who are "the other." Unfortunately, it seems to be human nature. MOO.

 

[casesensitive]

Mr and Mrs Kouakou are a class act.
They do not benefit in any way by alienating the authorities.

It is up to the community to continue to rally and respectfully request additional resource and focus to bring Ariel home.

Prayers for all concerned

There is no question that Ariel's parents are a class act.

How is advocating for a victim and asking for a thorough investigation for a missing child considered alienating authorities?

How is asking LE to attempt to find a child's body in a river alienating authorities?

Why should a missing child depend on a community to rally LE to find him when that is their job?

Without family pressure on LE, cold cases are quietly filed away in a cardboard box. Surely we WS members are aware of that!

 

[casesensitive]

Another article on Ariel by the CBC.

Investigators eventually concluded the boy had slipped into the water on March 12 and drowned, swept away by the currents — something Montreal police still believe to this day.

Ariel Kouakou: Still no trace 1 year later | CBC News

 

[Steelslady]

I think of Ariel a lot. I don't know why, but I just don't feel like he was ever in that water. This young man's disappearance haunts me. I can't believe it's been a year already, and with no leads or evidence of him.

 

[rosesfromangels]

There is no question that Ariel's parents are a class act.

How is advocating for a victim and asking for a thorough investigation for a missing child considered alienating authorities?

How is asking LE to attempt to find a child's body in a river alienating authorities?

Why should a missing child depend on a community to rally LE to find him when that is their job?

Without family pressure on LE, cold cases are quietly filed away in a cardboard box. Surely we WS members are aware of that!

I share your dismay, but believe the Kouakou’s are taking the right approach. I observe cases where distress and anger is directed to law enforcement, and i have never seen it help. Of course that is just an opinion.

I know we all stand with the Kouakou’s in praying for answers. It is heartbreaking.

 

[Eleanor Rigby]

I share your dismay, but believe the Kouakou’s are taking the right approach. I observe cases where distress and anger is directed to law enforcement, and i have never seen it help. Of course that is just an opinion.

I know we all stand with the Kouakou’s in praying for answers. It is heartbreaking.

IMO, righteous anger used to rally support for getting fair and equal treatment is not counterproductive. Directing anger into peaceful, non-violent demonstration and lobbying has a long history of producing results. Of course, I'm not suggesting just being abusive and angrily venting for revenge against LE. It's a fine line and needs to be done right. Between following cases on WS and The Vanished podcast, I've become aware of far too many cases that received very cursory treatment, and then shelved. The families who find a way to rally support and use the media to get LE's attention get better results than those who sit back and hope LE does its job. MOO.

 

[Plo_Koon]

I just had a quick question for anybody posting on here from the general area or who is familiar with the body of water in which the police suspect Ariel may have fallen into. I am from the United States so I am not so familiar with waterways in Canada.

I saw upthread that a few posters had made mention that if he had fallen into the water, there is a dam downstream so his body would have been caught up on the dam. Is that necessarily true? There was a district attorney named Ray Gricar who disappeared in Pennsylvania. They found his car parked near a bridge running over the Susquehanna River, and his laptop was later found on the shores of this same river with the hard drive purposefully removed/damaged. I remember at the time hearing a state police representative state that there are dams downstream, but due to the winter snow melting and all the run off going into the river causing a stronger current - RG's body if caught up at a dam would have likely ultimately been destroyed due to the current and strength of the water.

Is this something that could have happened with Ariel? As I said, I'm unfamiliar with the particular river involved in this case so any locals or others with geographical knowledge --- your help is appreciated and thanks in advance.

 

[freudianslip]

I just had a quick question for anybody posting on here from the general area or who is familiar with the body of water in which the police suspect Ariel may have fallen into. I am from the United States so I am not so familiar with waterways in Canada.

I saw upthread that a few posters had made mention that if he had fallen into the water, there is a dam downstream so his body would have been caught up on the dam. Is that necessarily true? There was a district attorney named Ray Gricar who disappeared in Pennsylvania. They found his car parked near a bridge running over the Susquehanna River, and his laptop was later found on the shores of this same river with the hard drive purposefully removed/damaged. I remember at the time hearing a state police representative state that there are dams downstream, but due to the winter snow melting and all the run off going into the river causing a stronger current - RG's body if caught up at a dam would have likely ultimately been destroyed due to the current and strength of the water.

Is this something that could have happened with Ariel? As I said, I'm unfamiliar with the particular river involved in this case so any locals or others with geographical knowledge --- your help is appreciated and thanks in advance.

I never thought about it, but you're right, it is possible.
IIRC, LE inspected the dam and had Hydro Quebec close the gates a few days into the search. It would have been too late, IMO.
The current is strong enough to power an electricity generating station about 5 miles down stream.
This is what the search area (in parc des Bateliers) looked like from above, on March 15, 2018: La zone de recherche du haut des airs
(this footage makes me wonder, though, how a 10 year old wearing soccer shoes could have walked all the way to the river and accidentally fallen into it)

Link to the Rivière-des-Prairies Generating Station's website: Rivière-des-Prairies | Free tours | Hydro-Québec

 

[freudianslip]

Ariel's father has always been so respectful in his public statements regarding the Montreal police. His latest comment is to thank them for their support over the past year. I don't know if this is due to a courteous custom or his fear of alienating them. How have they supported him beyond lip service? He needs to stop being polite and demand action from them to resolve this case.

Did LE send in divers once the ice thawed to find his body possibly snagged by debris close to the shore?
Did LE regularly check the grid where his body would be snagged?
No they didn't because police action on the river would have been reported by the media, and LE would have given updates on their efforts.

Did LE interview every convicted pediophile living in the area?
The only statement from LE, 48 hours after Ariel went missing, was that they canvassed the neighbours and feel that he went into the river. That was their stance from the beginning, and any significant further investigation wasn't worth their time imo. They were wrong--Ariel never surfaced in the river after the thaw.

To quote the Missing Children's Network director-general "It is time to put an end to this unbearable sorrow--these parents need to know where their son is"--of course the only source who can find the answer is Montreal police, and other than looking initially in the river, and "canvassing neighbours", they haven't done squat imo. It is usual for police to acknowledge an anniversary of a missing person to bring the case to the public's attention, and to assure the public that they are still active in finding the missing person. Montreal police wouldn't even make a routine anniversary statement to update Ariel's disappearance and what they have done to find him, and to ask for the public's help.

What does that tell us? I just feel sick to know that as I suspected, and what became evident, Ariel didn't get the attention he deserved from police, and never will.

In this popular French speaking television show aired 2 weeks after Ariel's disappearance, journalist Monic Néron explains how she was told that the only action that had been taken by local LE, at 4:30 am on March 13, was the addition of a few patrol cars.

She says she was shaken when she found out nothing more was being done to locate the 10 year old boy. She says it was 24 hours before they started the engines ("ouvrir la machine"). Local Montreal LE initially refused offers for help by specialized provincial police agents (i.e. a profiler and a cartography expert). She also says that serious questions are being asked within the Montreal police force (SPVM).

She says SPVM police worked very hard to find little Ariel. Unfortunately, the first 24 hours were lost. She also wonders if every effort was made to investigate the possibility of an abduction.

IMHO - Local Ahuntsic-Cartierville evening and night shift police officers didn't take the matter seriously and completely dropped the ball. When, in the morning, they finally realized they needed serious help, specialized units joined the search and did everything they could. I don't think SPVM as a whole is to blame, the search efforts were massive.

However, communication-wise, it seems the SPVM spokesmen have been trying to make these lost 24 hours go away... which would be easier if Ariel accidentally fell into the Rivière des Prairies. JMO, MOO.

 

[Eleanor Rigby]

I couldn't find any updates since the one-year anniversary stories. However, I found this anniversary article interesting. MOO.

Father Of Montreal Boy Who Disappeared A Year Ago Says He's Still Alive

Frederic Kouakou used the one-year anniversary of Ariel's disappearance to air some of his frustrations about the police investigation, which he called inadequate.

"I claimed that my son was abducted," Kouakou said, describing the hours following the boy's disappearance. "But faced with the powerful machine of the police, what could I do?"

Kouakou said Mayor Valerie Plante told him she couldn't tell the police what to do, but could have discussions with the department to ensure they had enough resources to locate the missing boy.

"Twelve months later, what has come out of those discussions?" Kouakou asked.

But despite his anger and sadness, he said the family has found peace in God.

On Tuesday, Ariel's photo appeared on screens across Montreal's 68 subway stations. The photo will also appear across Canada in May on envelopes used to mail CIBC Visa bills, an initiative with the Canadian Centre for Child Protection.

Pina Arcamone, director general of the Missing Children's Network, said the aim is to shed light on the case and offer comfort to Ariel's family.

"Whether it's good or bad, the family needs to know definitively what happened to their missing loved one. We are attempting to find the truth so we can have a family stop searching."

 

[casesensitive]

I can't help but think, if it was Justin Trudeau's son instead of Ariel, how police would have responded.

Would they have told Justin to leave the police station and call the correct phone number to report that his son was missing? Would they say "We think he drowned" and never try to find his body in the river after the thaw? Would they haul in every convicted pedophile living in the area for questioning and alibi checking? Would they check all the hundreds of tips that came in? Would they wait three months to look for a women who was in the park at the time Ariel disappeared?


I think we know the answers.

 

[kikukohime]

I can't help but think, if it was Justin Trudeau's son instead of Ariel, how police would have responded.

Would they have told Justin to leave the police station and call the correct phone number to report that his son was missing? Would they say "We think he drowned" and never try to find his body in the river after the thaw? Would they haul in every convicted pedophile living in the area for questioning and alibi checking? Would they check all the hundreds of tips that came in? Would they wait three months to look for a women who was in the park at the time Ariel disappeared?


I think we know the answers.

It'd be wealth not race.

But honestly, sometimes missing people just aren't found. No matter how wealthy you are, how important you are. Australian PM Harold Holt's body was never found. When you're dealing with nature, you aren't in control.

 

[otto]

I can't help but think, if it was Justin Trudeau's son instead of Ariel, how police would have responded.

Would they have told Justin to leave the police station and call the correct phone number to report that his son was missing? Would they say "We think he drowned" and never try to find his body in the river after the thaw? Would they haul in every convicted pedophile living in the area for questioning and alibi checking? Would they check all the hundreds of tips that came in? Would they wait three months to look for a women who was in the park at the time Ariel disappeared?

I think we know the answers.

That is simply untrue. In Canada, people are lost in fast flowing and deep waters, and there's nothing that can be done.

Justin Trudeau's brother is still at the bottom of a lake.

"Michel Trudeau, 23, was killed in 1998 when he was struck by an avalanche while skiing in Kokanee Glacier Provincial Park and swept into Kokanee Lake. His body was never found."
​

Justin Trudeau makes emotional return to B.C. lake where his brother was killed

 

[otto]

It'd be wealth not race.

But honestly, sometimes missing people just aren't found. No matter how wealthy you are, how important you are. Australian PM Harold Holt's body was never found. When you're dealing with nature, you aren't in control.

I'm sure a lot of people would like to make a missing boy a racial issue or a money issue, but the truth is that race and money have nothing to do with locating the bodies of people who end up in the water one way or another.

When Former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau's son vanished while skiing, it was assumed that he went into the water. There's no proof that he is in the water. No amount of money could find him. He's simply missing, and the assumption is that he is at the bottom of the lake.

 

[casesensitive]

I'm sure a lot of people would like to make a missing boy a racial issue or a money issue, but the truth is that race and money have nothing to do with locating the bodies of people who end up in the water one way or another.

When Former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau's son vanished while skiing, it was assumed that he went into the water. There's no proof that he is in the water. No amount of money could find him. He's simply missing, and the assumption is that he is at the bottom of the lake.

If you feel that a missing adult who was known to be swept into a mountain lake by an avalanche is the same thing as looking for a missing child who may have been abducted, then I am sorry, I can't agree.

 

[otto]

If you feel that a missing adult who was known to be swept into a mountain lake by an avalanche is the same thing as looking for a missing child who may have been abducted, then I am sorry, I can't agree.

I think it's very important to address comments that seem intent to cause unrest:

"I can't help but think, if it was Justin Trudeau's son instead of Ariel, how police would have responded." (comment #114)
​

It is a fact that former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau lost a son, and current Prime Minister Justin Trudeau lost a brother, in an accident. Police responded in exactly the same way that they did with Ariel.

Ariel was next to the water, then he was gone. Police risked their lives to search for the child in the freezing, dangerous, fast-flowing river. Ultimately, they had to admit that they were unable to locate a body. That is exactly how it works with children who are lost in fast-flowing and deep water, regardless of the status of the parents.

It is completely irresponsible to suggest or imply that children of important Canadians are given special treatment.

 

[casesensitive]

Ok, let's leave an "important" person out of the comparison. Let's pretend it was you or me who went to police. How then do you explain why Ariel's father, who went to the police station to report that his 10 year old son had been missing all day, was turned away and told to go home and report it by phone?

Post #112

She says she was shaken when she found out nothing more was being done to locate the 10 year old boy. She says it was 24 hours before they started the engines ("ouvrir la machine"). Local Montreal LE initially refused offers for help by specialized provincial police agents (i.e. a profiler and a cartography expert). She also says that serious questions are being asked within the Montreal police force (SPVM).

I don't think an important person would have faced the way this case was initially handled, and I don't feel it is in the slightest 'irresponsible' to suggest so. jmo