SPARWOOD, B.C. – Police say three-year-old Kienan Hebert was found safe and sound four days after he was abducted from his home in Sparwood, B.C.
RCMP Cpl. Dan Moskaluk said early Sunday that the boy was returned by the suspect in the case after an emotional plea from his family.
“Kienan Hebert 3yr old Sparwood child is safe and sound,” Moskaluk said via Twitter. “Within 12 hours of family plea for return, child returned by suspect.”
Police plan a news briefing in Sparwood later in the morning to provide more details.
“Great news!” said Dave Elliott, a neighbour who was among four or five people gathered outside the house where the Hebert family has been staying, while police were combing through their own home for clues.
Elliott said he did not want to say too much as the boy’s father, Paul Hebert, will be speaking later about the positive outcome of a search that has drawn in hundreds of volunteers.
On Saturday, the boy’s parents brushed away tears as Moskaluk confirmed that their son was kidnapped from his home in this scenic close-knit mountain community. The boy has a history of sleepwalking, and many were hoping he had perhaps just wandered away.
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Clasping his wife’s hand tightly under the table, Paul Hebert had a message for Kienan’s suspected captor, who police allege is Randall Hopley, 46, a convicted sex offender from the Sparwood area.
“We’re just asking, please bring Kienan to a safe place right now, OK? Like a gas station or store parking lot where he is visibly seen and you could just drop him off there okay? Walk away,” Hebert said quietly.
“We just want him safe. Kienan’s only three years old right now and as you know and we know Kienan can’t speak, so he can’t tell us who you are, right? This is your chance right now to get away. All we want is Kienan to come back with us and to be safe in our arms again.”
Moskaluk said Kienan still has limited verbal skills and agreed it was unlikely that he would be able to tell investigators anything about his abductor or lead them back to where he had been held.
“Bring him back. Drop him off in town. Make sure somebody sees him. Do it as secretly as you have to, drop the kid off and get out of dodge.”
Moskaluk said additional resources have been added to the investigation and there are now 60 officers working on the case compared to 20 earlier in the week. He wouldn’t reveal when investigators discovered the attempted abduction attempt or the age or sex of the child involved.
“A second abduction happened earlier on in the evening at another home where this person attempted to lure the child out of the home. He was unsuccessful.”
Hopley was convicted of sexual assault in the mid-1980s and was given a two-year federal prison sentence.
An incident in November 2007 led to charges of break and enter, unlawful confinement and attempted abduction, and the indictment for the case indicated the victim was under 16-years-old.
B.C.’s Criminal Justice Branch has confirmed Hopley pleaded guilty to break and enter and was sentenced to 18 months in jail, while the other charges were stayed.
Crown spokesman Neil MacKenzie confirmed Hopley admitted at trial that he attempted to remove a 10-year-old boy, who was in foster care at the time. Hopley claimed he was acting on behalf of the child’s parents.
A preliminary hearing has been set for Sept. 19 in Pincher Creek, Alta. According to a court official in Lethbridge, Hopley faces 12 charges dating back to May 2010 in Crowsnest Pass. They include break and enter and possession of stolen property.
Two of Hopley’s recent defence lawyers declined to comment.
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