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

[dotr]

https://globalnews.ca/news/4105579/...ork-delivers-tips-to-help-keep-children-safe/

Pina Arcamone from the Missing Children’s Network joined Global’s Andrea Howick to talk about the stress the family is undergoing and delivered safety guidelines to keep children safe.

“They are trying to be strong. Two full weeks have passed. They never thought they would be waiting so long,” Arcamone said about the Kouakou family.

“They are tired, they’re emotionally and physically exhausted. They’re fighting for their son as well.”

​

 

[Jules Clues]

The kid was 10. What kid isn’t curious about things at that age. If they had never taken him to the river that they lived so close to, Arie probably had even a larger sense of curiosity than normal. Saying “we never went there so he would never go there” to me sounds naive.


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[Trinitee]

Personally, I find the idea that police are untrustworthy as very odd. I think in most Canadian, European, and Australian cities, the police are trusted, and at the very least treated with a respect for the challenging jobs they do.

I've never seen a situation where the family decides to run their own investigation chasing a theory that has no evidence, and to gather community support for that unfounded theory.

I am glad your experience has been positive but that may not be the case when it comes to the experiences of other individuals. I watched numerous police savagely beat the body of a shirtless unarmed hippie, during a peaceful sit down protest, with their batons as a toddler in the seventies. My memories are quite vivid and to this day I can still recall looking up at my mom, as I tugged on her skirt, because I did not understand why the police were hurting this man and I wanted to ask her why. Needless to say, I remember my mother immediately rushing us out of there lol. I just recently discovered I was a mere 1 1/2 years old at the time. That incident is the earliest memory I have and it will stay with me until death.

 

[Phei]

The kid was 10. What kid isn’t curious about things at that age. If they had never taken him to the river that they lived so close to, Arie probably had even a larger sense of curiosity than normal. Saying “we never went there so he would never go there” to me sounds naive.


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Reminds me of my neighbors, their parents have an extreme fear of black cats, told their 7 and 9 year old boys to never approach my yard or my house because I own a black cat. Every summer they get so excited every time they see my cat in my window, they laugh and yell and point and although scared to approach my window they have this intense excitement about looking at him, my daughter who plays with them sometimes was petting him at my window and they wanted so bad to come and pet it too, I even heard them crying to their parents because they so wanted to come over and look at my cat up close.

I can see Ariel wanting to approach the water out of curiosity because no one was there to tell him not to, maybe he even saw a duck family and wanted to see them up close, I've seen some family of ducks on that river in winter time. So sad, poor kid.

 

[janewall]

Otto said this; my attempt to quote his comment did not work the first time:

"Personally, I find the idea that police are untrustworthy as very odd. I think in most Canadian, European, and Australian cities, the police are trusted, and at the very least treated with a respect for the challenging jobs they do."


You may find it odd, but you are likely not an immigrant from a country that is a police state, where the police or military knocking on your door means the start of a nightmare for you and your family. Mr. Kouakou is from Ivory Coast, which is a rather different law enforcement culture than Canada, Europe, Australia or even the US ideal of law enforcement meant to help the citizenry and not the government in charge.

On a related note, someone mentioned not being able to imagine not taking their children to explore Canada's wealth of natural beauty, be it water, forest or mountains. Again, the natural world in Ivory Coast may be dark and full of terrors, not mystery and wonder. I don't think that the prior life and cultural experiences of this immigrant family from an undeveloped country can be erased simply because they've inhabited an environment that westerners perceive as much safer in these past few years.

 

[otto]

Otto said this; my attempt to quote his comment did not work the first time:

"Personally, I find the idea that police are untrustworthy as very odd. I think in most Canadian, European, and Australian cities, the police are trusted, and at the very least treated with a respect for the challenging jobs they do."


You may find it odd, but you are likely not an immigrant from a country that is a police state, where the police or military knocking on your door means the start of a nightmare for you and your family. Mr. Kouakou is from Ivory Coast, which is a rather different law enforcement culture than Canada, Europe, Australia or even the US ideal of law enforcement meant to help the citizenry and not the government in charge.

On a related note, someone mentioned not being able to imagine not taking their children to explore Canada's wealth of natural beauty, be it water, forest or mountains. Again, the natural world in Ivory Coast may be dark and full of terrors, not mystery and wonder. I don't think that the prior life and cultural experiences of this immigrant family from an undeveloped country can be erased simply because they've inhabited an environment that westerners perceive as much safer in these past few years.

I understand that the refusal to believe the evidence gathered by police of to trust police is likely a cultural difference. What I don't understand is why so many volunteers are following the lead of the family rather than police. Police have asked people to search the water edge, but volunteers are searching strip malls. This strikes me as very odd. Presumably the volunteers are not all from the Ivory Coast.

 

[eucalyptuz]

That's great eucalyptuz! How do you access the History feature? Do we need to sign up to Google maps? Do we need an account or not?

Sorry for the late reply...been offline for most of the day.
Google Earth is a separate software for GPS image viewing. It often uses the same set of recent images as google maps but there is also access to earlier satellite imagery and for some areas it goes back decades and it captures different seasons too. The history tool is accessed by an icon in the tool bar that has a clockface with an anti clock-wise arrow.
This Wikipedia article gives a good description of features and there’s a link at the bottom to download. It uses shy of a GB on phones, iPads and computers but can be sluggish to run if you are short on memory.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Earth

 

[janewall]

I understand that the refusal to believe the evidence gathered by police of to trust police is likely a cultural difference. What I don't understand is why so many volunteers are following the lead of the family rather than police. Police have asked people to search the water edge, but volunteers are searching strip malls. This strikes me as very odd. Presumably the volunteers are not all from the Ivory Coast.

Agreed. I can understand checking around the malls as well since the family is so convinced he may be/have been there. But ignoring the river area when the police have specifically requested people to be on the lookout there is shortsighted of the volunteer searchers. I can't imagine all the volunteers are from the West African immigrant communities, so surely some participants would view the police as trustworthy.

 

[katydid23]

(On a personal note, living in Canada, with so many lakes, rivers, parks, woods and forests, I can't imagine not taking my children to the woods or near water to play and explore!)

This is an old video that I haven't seen before. My apologies for bringing back old news, but I'm trying to gather as many bits and pieces.

At the end of this news 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)

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

I have always thought that explanation does not make sense. Dad says ' we have never been to the woods, never been to the riverside' therefore his son wouldn't do so.

But in mind, when thinking of my kids at 10, that would make them even more likely to want to go look at something, if they had never seen it before. So it does not convince me that he would never be tempted to go walk by the water.

 

[mpnola]

I have always thought that explanation does not make sense. Dad says ' we have never been to the woods, never been to the riverside' therefore his son wouldn't do so.

But in mind, when thinking of my kids at 10, that would make them even more likely to want to go look at something, if they had never seen it before. So it does not convince me that he would never be tempted to go walk by the water.

It doesn't make sense to me, either. And actually, something about it makes me feel weird and crinkle up my face. I don't like when I have that reaction . Lol. But really.

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[casesensitive]

I understand that the refusal to believe the evidence gathered by police of to trust police is likely a cultural difference. What I don't understand is why so many volunteers are following the lead of the family rather than police. Police have asked people to search the water edge, but volunteers are searching strip malls. This strikes me as very odd. Presumably the volunteers are not all from the Ivory Coast.

Volunteers HAVE been searching the water edge, and continue to do so. Saturday, organizers called for a planned search of the river's north and south shores. (Police plan to continue the river search this week). Sunday was the planned search of local stip malls and behind buildings. I can imagine that not all volunteers are physically able, or even willing to face the harsher conditions of a river edge search. But they want to help and show support for the family. I don't find that "odd" at all. jmo

https://globalnews.ca/news/4099083/...ariel-jeffrey-kouakou-may-be-in-river-police/

 

[Hazel]

Sorry for the late reply...been offline for most of the day.
Google Earth is a separate software for GPS image viewing. It often uses the same set of recent images as google maps but there is also access to earlier satellite imagery and for some areas it goes back decades and it captures different seasons too. The history tool is accessed by an icon in the tool bar that has a clockface with an anti clock-wise arrow.
This Wikipedia article gives a good description of features and there’s a link at the bottom to download. It uses shy of a GB on phones, iPads and computers but can be sluggish to run if you are short on memory.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Earth

Thank you eucalyptuz!

 

[dotr]

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montr...-ariel-kouakou-in-face-of-criticism-1.4595250

Montreal mayor defends police efforts to find Ariel Kouakou in face of criticism

The SPVM has been investigating disappearance of 10-year-old boy for 15 days

CBC News · Posted: Mar 27, 2018

Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante vehemently defended the ongoing police investigation into the disappearance of 10-year-old Ariel Jeffrey Kouakou at a city council meeting Tuesday morning.

"It's not the time to bash the people who are on the ground working, the SPVM and the volunteers," she said.
"I'm behind them and we're following the file. All that counts right now is to find Ariel."

Police spokesperson, Insp. Ian Lafrenière, also rebuffed the criticism — saying that now was not the time to start questioning the SPVM's tactics.

"The police, we're used to that. What I have a problem with is doing it right in the middle of our investigation," he said.

 

[KayCherry]

The kid was 10. What kid isn’t curious about things at that age. If they had never taken him to the river that they lived so close to, Arie probably had even a larger sense of curiosity than normal. Saying “we never went there so he would never go there” to me sounds naive.


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Curiosity killed the cat, and surely others along the way. The video head turning does have me worried for something else. However, I wouldn't hesitate to say a growing boy "exploring" areas he may have wanted to go, and first time on his own?! Coincidence???

 

[rosesfromangels]

IMHO, I don't think this is an accident. I agree with the father that this boy was taken...he would have a reason for saying that. LE should figure out what that reason is. Prayers continue.

 

[dotr]

VIDEO today's search.
https://globalnews.ca/video/4109266/the-search-continues-in-the-water-for-missing-boy

The search continues in the water for missing boy

Tue, Mar 27: Police continue their search for 10-year-old Ariel Jeffrey Kouakou. Dan Spector reports on the latest efforts to locate the boy who disappeared more than two weeks ago.

The Father apparently is still firmly of the belief that Jeffrey was kidnapped, would love to know who he thinks abducted him and why?
Does he think it is revenge for something the family did, or do they think it is a pedophile and if so, do they believe he wants to keep Jeffrey or that he may be killed, or do they think it is a kidnapping for money or political reasons?
Has the father offered any theories?
speculation.

 

[otto]

VIDEO today's search.
https://globalnews.ca/video/4109266/the-search-continues-in-the-water-for-missing-boy

The Father apparently is still firmly of the belief that Jeffrey was kidnapped, would love to know who he thinks abducted him and why?
Does he think it is revenge for something the family did, or do they think it is a pedophile and if so, do they believe he wants to keep Jeffrey or that he may be killed, or do they think it is a kidnapping for money or political reasons?
Has the father offered any theories?
speculation.

I would also like to know why he thinks someone would sneak Ariel out of the park and then leave him at a nearby strip mall. The alternative, which I think is more likely, is that the family refuses to believe both the CCTV footage of Ariel walking to the park and the credible witness who saw Ariel at the waterfront. There is no good reason to disbelieve either. However, if they want to believe that it is an abduction, they should look 20 miles from the park, not next to the park.

Whether abduction or drowning, surely the family knows that the probability of his son being alive is slim to none, which means there is no reason to prefer abduction over drowning. They need help to come to terms with the loss of their son, and they need to stop bashing the police who are doing everything they can to help the family.

 

[juli99]

I would also like to know why he thinks someone would sneak Ariel out of the park and then leave him at a nearby strip mall. The alternative, which I think is more likely, is that the family refuses to believe both the CCTV footage of Ariel walking to the park and the credible witness who saw Ariel at the waterfront. There is no good reason to disbelieve either. However, if they want to believe that it is an abduction, they should look 20 miles from the park, not next to the park.

Whether abduction or drowning, surely the family knows that the probability of his son being alive is slim to none, which means there is no reason to prefer abduction over drowning. They need help to come to terms with the loss of their son, and they need to stop bashing the police who are doing everything they can to help the family.

There are parents whose children have been missing for years who probably still have not come to terms with the loss, nor given up hope of finding them alive. I think it is a bit much to expect of them so soon.

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[Hazel]

With the help of the image on this news article:
Link: https://www.thestar.com/news/canada...-still-confident-he-will-be-found-safely.html


and the still image from this news video (mark 01.:20), I was able to pinpoint the exact location of Ariel's home.
Link: http://www.btmontreal.ca/videos/police-believe-missing-boy-drowned-in-river/

This video (in French) has a map (mark 00:44) that also shows Ariel's home and the route he might have taken that morning.
Link: http://www.tvanouvelles.ca/2018/03/...vu-une-video-importante-recuperee-par-le-spvm

That is the same route Google maps gives from his home to his friend's home, but I don't know for sure if that's the route he took, he could have taken a different route.
Link to Google Map: https://goo.gl/maps/boncZZ9VHQz

NOTES:
1) There is a CCTV surveillance camera at that flower shop, in the corner of Boulevard Gouin and Valmont Rue.
I don't know whether or not LE was able to get footage from that location, nor if the camera points downwards towards the business front door or if it also captures the surrounding area or not.

So this map is only to show the location of that CCTV camera, which is very close to the main entrance to Parc des Bateliers.

I am thinking, IF Ariel took this route, could that CCTV had captured him walking along Boul. Gouin towards his friend's house that morning?
Could this be the reason why LE is so certain that Ariel never left the park? ALL JUST SPECULATION

2) The CCTV was shown in one of the earlier news videos --- Google street view does not show the flower shop CCTV camera. Seems that it was installed after the Google car went through that street.
I'll post the link to that video as soon as I can find it.

 

[otto]

That's very interesting Hazel! It also shows us where the witness saw Ariel, more or less - presumably at the point where the red dot trail ends.

There was CCTV footage of Ariel walking down the street and that is probably how police know the route he took to his friend's house.

I do wonder what additional information the family wants (per the placard)? Access to the credible witness? ... another look at the restaurant CCTV footage that shows Ariel entering the park?

One almost gets the impression that the family has decided to go against the police. It's one thing to carry on their own investigation of strip malls and other buildings, but what is the point of going against those who are trying so hard to help? That can't be a cultural thing, and it can't be a simple difference of opinion. I think something else is going on here, but what?