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

[Ritika]

Now that we know that a volunteer searcher did not fall through the ice, do any locals feel that the ice close to the park shore could be thin enough to give way to a child? Has anyone seen a break in the ice close to the shore? I haven't seen any videos showing breaks in the ice close to shore but obviously the police feel this was feasible, and I want to trust their judgement. But this has been an extreme winter in Ontario and I suspect also in Quebec. Is there a possibility that the ice near the river banks was thicker than normal due to the weather conditions this year? If police saw an obvious break(s) in the ice along the banks of the park, where Ariel could have fallen in, wouldn't they have made this information public to support their theory that he fell through the ice into the water? Where is the proof of a hole in the ice?

Hazel has posted about breaks in the ice, and I have also seen photos online where there is an obvious hole when somebody falls through.

This is not a criminal investigation, therefore I expect LE to justify their theory of drowning. They have been quoted as saying their theory is solely based on the witness who saw Ariel in the park, and that they have no video of him leaving the park. I want to know that it was possible for Ariel to fall through the ice close to the bank and that they have proof that this was likely.

Just to clarify, that despite their belief that Ariel drowned, police have made it clear that there is also an ongoing criminal investigation. They are not ruling out any possibilities.

 

[Hazel]

just speculation
Could Ariel had encountered a coyote in the park and tried to escape towards the water?
I'm not sure if a coyote was ever spotted around parc de Batellier, I'm just speculating after watching this video.

April 10, 2018

In the past 10 months there have been nearly 380 calls about coyotes in urban and suburban areas, and at least five people were bitten or scratched by coyotes. Coyotes also bit 11 dogs between June 2017 and March 2018. (Data before June was not collected.)

"People like to feed animals, they think they're helping them, they think it's cute: it's not. And what it does is, those animals become habituated to people, and then they come closer and closer, and what happens at some point is they want food, they don't get it, they get mad just like a child, and they nip," said Rodrigue.

Coyote sightings have increased significantly in the city’s northern and western areas.

“It’s quite easy at this moment to see which coyote is causing problems. We know him, so we are following him and we're placing some traps,” said Ahuntsic-Cartierville Borough Mayor Emilie Thuillier.

Read more here: https://montreal.ctvnews.ca/montrea...s-educate-public-about-wild-animals-1.3878785

 

[rosesfromangels]

Here are some very interesting 2017 stats on missing children in Canada. (See the second chart for children). http://www.canadasmissing.ca/pubs/2017/index-eng.htm

Fast facts:

57% of all missing children/youth reports involve females.
76% of missing children/youth reports (male and female) are runaways.
61% of missing children/youth reports were removed within 24 hours, while 91% were removed within a week. Footnote 6
61% of all missing persons reports (male and female, adults and children) involve children.

 

[Phei]

Discovery of a woman's body in rivière des Prairies today.

http://www.journaldemontreal.com/20...corps-dune-femme-dans-la-riviere-des-prairies

https://translate.google.ca/transla...ns-la-riviere-des-prairies&edit-text=&act=url

 

[MsFacetious]

So if the video the police have shows Ariel "near" the water.... wouldn't it also show the direction he went?
Or even him falling in? I would think they would also come out and say "our video shows him right next to the river and then he vanishes" or "our video shows him falling in" or "our video shows him walking along the bank."

It seems like a little more details or clarity would help to calm a lot of the speculation and questions people have.
I just wonder why they haven't done that yet.

 

[dotr]

So if the video the police have shows Ariel "near" the water.... wouldn't it also show the direction he went?
Or even him falling in? I would think they would also come out and say "our video shows him right next to the river and then he vanishes" or "our video shows him falling in" or "our video shows him walking along the bank."

It seems like a little more details or clarity would help to calm a lot of the speculation and questions people have.
I just wonder why they haven't done that yet.

rbbm.
Not that it is likely at all for one of these two things to have happened, but, what if JK had purposely jumped or someone pushed him into the river?
speculation, imo.

 

[dotr]

April 12 2018
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/ariel-jeffrey-kouakou-missing-1.4615987

Ariel is 'waiting for us': Montreal family pleads for renewed efforts in search for missing boy

Michel Surprenant, father of teen missing since 1999, appears with boy's father Frédéric Kouakou

Frédéric Kouakou, the father of the 10-year-old boy, fought back tears as he told reporters that he refuses to give up hope that his son will be found.

"I express today my profound sadness, my profound sadness after one month, 30 days . . . 30 long days, 30 long nights without my son — with no news, with no clues," he said.

Today, he called on Montreal's mayor to set up a special squad to investigate suspected child abductions in the immediate moments after they are reported missing.

Ariel's family was joined at today's news conference by another father touched by a similar tragedy — Michel Surprenant's daughter Julie disappeared in 1999. She has never been found.

• Julie Surprenant's father suspected neighbour
  

Surprenant said he was compelled to reach out to Ariel's family because his teenage daughter's disappearance shared many similarities with the boy's and he knows what it's like to hold on to hope.

"I always put myself in the place of the victim and the victim is waiting for us to find them," he said. "We have to maintain the sense of urgency."

 

[Phei]

http://www.journaldemontreal.com/20...l-a-lintime-conviction-que-son-fils-reviendra
(not the best translation but I'll put the big points)
Press conference with Ariel's parents.
I think at first it's the uncle speaking, giving a brief summary of what has been done so far, urging the mayor of Montreal, Valerie Plante to use her power to provide more resources for Montreal's LE for Ariel's search. Every day the agony does not diminish.
He says Ariel left his home around 10:40 to 11 am. He says often the family's questions are not always answered by the police and investigators. They want answers. He wishes there was a special team working on Ariel because answers are often contradictory, one day they say they saw him at the park, we saw him enter the 1148. He says police seem to favor the drowning story, is it a disappearance? Did aliens abduct him? We need answers.
Thanks the two people next to him, Enfants secour organism.

Fred Kouakou (father) : Very appreciative and says thank you to many people, the press, organisms, volunteers, Ivory Coast group etc. Every family in Montreal, Quebec and the entire world, thank you. Thanks the police, we know each other for 1 month, they are fathers, they do everything to help us and find Ariel. Thank you to the authorities, the Mayor, the Deputee of Ahuntstic, who came to my home.

As a father, I would like to express my profound sadness.

Profound sadness to have spent a month, 30 days, 30 long days, 30 long nights, without my son. With no news or clues. It is difficult, I will not speak of my wife. I think of my children, beyond sadness, I would like to think more about hope. Today's comfort is to find Ariel, the ultimate conviction we will find him, Ariel will come back. And it's that internal strength that I have which transcends today all the emotions that me and my family can feel.

We will not let sadness win over us, we are not quitters. Ariel will come back, I am convinced. I would like that this press conference a moment of prayer, a reminder of that dark day of march 12th 2018. The sun that shines outside, I see it as a sign that hope must live within us. To all the children to came on april 7th to form the human chain, it is your friend you came to help find. To all the students, to his friends, to all the children of every Montreal, Quebecer and in the whole world, we are appreciative that you came over. Thank you to everyone.

If you have questions we will answer the best we can.

- What would you ask to the Mayor?
What we will ask the mayor is to create a specialized team for abductions. This type of team would have started the steps a lot sooner than the police, I respect what was done, but my humble opinion if a specialized team existed the actions would have been quicker.

-Would you want more police force involved?
Yes we need more human and technical and financial ways to help, one specialized team force.

-(inaudible question about a video)
Yes, the video was presented to us. We saw the video and to be honest, in the video at no moment do we see my son fall in the water, at no moment was my son headed towards the water. The video showed my son at the park, with another person and a dog. No video shows my son fall in the water. Even slip, nothing. And like I said in my previous interviews, if you go to the park of the Bateliers between the waterfront and where my son was last seen there is a good 50 meters, that is all I will say.

 

[Bravo]

Sadly I believe Ariel will be found this spring. I can totally understand Parents hanging on to a shred of hope he was taken and alive. Heartbreaking.

 

[Phei]

50 meters = 164 feet

 

[juli99]

So he is saying the video showed his son in the park, but quite a distance from the waterfront.

Sent from my Moto E (4) using Tapatalk

 

[eucalyptuz]

If the video footage did come from the house at the end of rue de Saint Real and the footage is of Ariel walking either the path or the boardwalk then he was within 50ms of the ice banks...probably closer to 20m (60ft)
This google earth image from spring last year shows the proximity of the path to the waters edge - and even this is not the skinniest section of the park - in some places the distance between path and river bank is less than a meter...particularly in a little cove a little further west.
I feel for this family and even if has been seen close to the river, I understand their need to keep all scenarios open.

 

[Hazel]

Ariel Jeffrey Kouakou’s father wants Montreal police division dedicated to missing kids searches
April 12, 2018

He said he would like to see Montreal police dedicate a division solely responsible to search for missing children. Kouakou was joined by Michel Surprenant, the father of Julie Surprenant, who went missing in 1999.

https://globalnews.ca/news/4140126/...-division-dedicated-to-missing-kids-searches/


We have a thread for Julie here on Websleuths:
Canada - Julie Surprenant, 16, Montreal, Nov 1999
https://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?150163-Canada-Julie-Surprenant-16-Montreal-Nov-1999

 

[Hazel]

http://www.journaldemontreal.com/20...l-a-lintime-conviction-que-son-fils-reviendra
(not the best translation but I'll put the big points)
Press conference with Ariel's parents.

If you have questions we will answer the best we can.

- What would you ask to the Mayor?
What we will ask the mayor is to create a specialized team for abductions. This type of team would have started the steps a lot sooner than the police, I respect what was done, but my humble opinion if a specialized team existed the actions would have been quicker.

-Would you want more police force involved?
Yes we need more human and technical and financial ways to help, one specialized team force.

-(inaudible question about a video)
Yes, the video was presented to us. We saw the video and to be honest, in the video at no moment do we see my son fall in the water, at no moment was my son headed towards the water. The video showed my son at the park, with another person and a dog. No video shows my son fall in the water. Even slip, nothing. And like I said in my previous interviews, if you go to the park of the Bateliers between the waterfront and where my son was last seen there is a good 50 meters, that is all I will say.

(respectfully snipped and bolded by me)

Thank you so much Phei for the translation.
I'm glad LE showed Mr. Kouakou the footage of Ariel at the park.
I can't help but wonder how shocked he must have been, after he was so adamant that Ariel will never go to the park.

 

[casesensitive]

(respectfully snipped and bolded by me)

Thank you so much Phei for the translation.
I'm glad LE showed Mr. Kouakou the footage of Ariel at the park.
I can't help but wonder how shocked he must have been, after he was so adamant that Ariel will never go to the park.

I have never read that Ariel's father ever said that Ariel would never go to the park. He has repeatedly said that he would never go to the "river". Do you have a link for your quote.

 

[rosesfromangels]

I have never read that Ariel's father ever said that Ariel would never go to the park. He has repeatedly said that he would never go to the "river". Do you have a link for your quote.

I love this man. He is not giving up on his son. I stand with him.

 

[Hazel]

I have never read that Ariel's father ever said that Ariel would never go to the park. He has repeatedly said that he would never go to the "river". Do you have a link for your quote.

The park borders the river. In the last link he says:
(quote) "We've never been to the riverside, not even in the woods. My son and I, we have never been in the woods." So for me it's impossible he could do that by himself. " (end of quote)
Here are a few links, there's more that are embeded within news videos interviews.

But Kouakou said he didn't believe his son would have gone to the river because the family never went there.

He said a security camera at a nearby garage had captured his son's image, leading him to believe the boy had been heading to visit his friend as planned.

"He was walking to the place he was supposed to go," he said.

http://thechronicleherald.ca/canada...l-boy-still-confident-he-will-be-found-safely

---------------------------------------------------------​

"I am dead sure my son is still alive simply because he was to go to his friend's house. We saw some camera showing him walking along the street. The last camera I got, he turned around like he was being called by somebody, and then he continued on his way, then he turned around again. So for me, maybe somebody called him, and he was looking around to see who called him. I'm dead sure something happened at that point," said Kouakou.

https://montreal.ctvnews.ca/father-...unt-for-ariel-kouakou-in-fourth-day-1.3844525

---------------------------------------------------------​

A witness saw Ariel at the waterfront, and, although the father initially said that Ariel did not "say" he was going to the river, it is not clear why the father said that Ariel "never" went near the water. He was a normal 10 year old boy who lived next to a river. Surely he wasn't so sheltered that he never did anything without a parent holding his hand.

"Since the very beginning we've thought it was a kidnapping because we're convinced our son would never go near the water," Kouakou told reporters when his son was first reported missing.

https://www.ctvnews.ca/mobile/canada/police-say-they-believe-missing-montreal-boy-drowned-1.3853661


"Ariel did not say that he was going near the water, he did say he had an invitation to visit a friend who was not at home.

"Kouakou said he didn't believe Ariel would go near the river.

"We never went near the water — I know my son," he said.

"Maybe he would have gone near the water if it was something we usually did. He is a soccer kid. He would go see his friend to play soccer. He was going to see his friend, and when he left home, he did not say he was going near the water."

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/montreal-police-search-10-year-old-boy-missing-1.4575490

---------------------------------------------------------​

[video=youtube;53v1sZw0EUU]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53v1sZw0EUU[/video]

".... it simply means that our son didn't go there ..." "...so many things, so many elements that show that our son has not been to the riverside. Videos that we watched clearly show our son walking to the place where he was supposed to go."

---------------------------------------------------------​

Watch the Video (around the 02:00 mark, reporter says Ariel's father said "while he is grateful for the police efforts, he believes they are off base searching in the water. He says Ariel will never go play near the river."

(quote) "We've never been to the riverside, not even in the woods. My son and I, we have never been in the woods." So for me it's impossible he could do that by himself. " (end of quote)

VIDEO: https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/searc...d-montreal-boy-missing-since-monday-1.3847238

 

[Hazel]

I love this man. He is not giving up on his son. I stand with him.

We all do. My heart breaks every time I hear him talking, and seeing Ariel's mom, closing her eyes, looking up to the sky.
So sad.

 

[casesensitive]

Hazel,
Sorry for any confusion, my point was that Ariel's father has never said, to my knowledge, that Ariel would never go to the "park". Going to the park and not going near the riverside are two different statements in my mind. That's all I was questioning.

Your quote: I'm glad LE showed Mr. Kouakou the footage of Ariel at the park.
I can't help but wonder how shocked he must have been, after he was so adamant that Ariel will never go to the park.

 

[Hazel]

Hazel,
Sorry for any confusion, my point was that Ariel's father has never said, to my knowledge, that Ariel would never go to the "park". Going to the park and not going near the riverside are two different statements in my mind. That's all I was questioning.

Your quote: I'm glad LE showed Mr. Kouakou the footage of Ariel at the park.
I can't help but wonder how shocked he must have been, after he was so adamant that Ariel will never go to the park.

casesensitive, yes probably a matter of semantics or interpretation.

I am sure you have read all the posts on this thread from post one, and you have checked Google maps, and seen all the maps and images posted here by Websleuthers, so you are familiar with the area.

Also I'm sure you are aware that it has been established that when they say "park" they mean the whole area that stretches between the park itself with the 4 benches, up to the train tracks to the east, which includes the boardwalk.
There are no playing structures in that park. Going to the park is practically going for a walk along the pathways, which borders the river.

It was my understanding that Ariel's dad didn't believe Ariel went anywhere after going to the buildings complex, and not finding his friend at home, but I could be wrong, or miss-interpreted.
It was my understanding that Ariel's father kept saying that his son was abducted somewhere in that area.

If you have a link where Ariel's father says that yes, it was usual for Ariel to go to the park by himself, and that yes, he might have gone for a walk in the park, or to play there, that Monday, but that it was impossible he would have gone close to the river, PLEASE post that link.

In the links I provided above, you can read that he was convinced Ariel will only go to where he was supposed to go, which is his friend's home.
In one video he says "it simply means he did not go there", meaning the area that was being searched.

Bottom line, my post was me wondering how surprised he must have been when shown footage of Ariel at the park, 50 meters away from the water, that is all I meant.