A 37-year-old man is facing two charges after Edmonton police say a young girl was led away from her family Saturday night.
A five-year-old girl was riding her bike with her older brother at around 8:15 p.m. in the area of 157 Street and 99 Avenue when she was approached by a man she didn’t know, police said. Officers were told the man “took hold of the girl’s handle bars and lead her away from the area on foot,” according to a news release Tuesday morning.
The brother ran to a nearby home and told another family member what had happened. Family members ran in the direction the man had taken the girl and found her just a few minutes later.
Police said she was about one block away and was unharmed. The man was found in the area shortly after.
Police praised the young boy for his quick thinking and his actions to protect his little sister.
“This young man followed his instincts and certainly did the right thing by running home and notifying family members immediately,” Det. Manuel Illner with the EPS Child Protection Section said in a release.
Police said Wednesday that despite responding in exactly the right way, the boy was rattled by what happened.
“The brother, even though he reacted appropriately… he still seems to think he did something wrong,” Illner said. “I tried to reassure him… that what he did was heroic in a sense.”
The investigation into the incident is ongoing.
Watch below: Det. Manuel Illner with the EPS Child Protection Section explains how the five-year-old girl and her older brother are doing.
Sgt. Lael Sauter said it is a good idea for parents to speak with their children often about what to do in a similar circumstance.
“We can empower our kids by giving them knowledge beforehand,” he said. “Go over scenarios.”
He suggests having a rule where kids freeze in place if they get separated from their mom or dad. That way, if a stranger approaches them, they can say “no, I’m staying put.”
Sauter also suggests teaching children phrases they can use, like: “No. I have to talk to my parents first.”
If they’re approached by a stranger who says their parent sent them, they should have a secret code word shared only between the child and parents. Then, “if that person, who’s going to retrieve the child, has that code word, they know that person is safe.”
In the rare case of an abduction attempt, Sauter suggests kids yell a specific phrase: “This is not my mom! This is not my dad! Help!”
Kayla Vishnu lives in the area with her girls and told Global News on Tuesday that it was “terrifying” to learn of what happened to her neighbour.
“As a mom of small daughters myself, that’s absolutely terrifying to me that it happened literally right by my own house,” she said.
“We’ve lived here almost four years and we’ve never had anything like that happen before.”
Dusty Greg Chalifoux, 37, has been charged with abducting a child under 14 years of age and breaching recognizance.
He is scheduled to appear in court on Friday. Chalifoux has also been charged with two counts of sexual assault that are unrelated to the abduction charge.
Police said the accused is known to police but didn’t know the family of the victim.
“Right now, motive for this abduction is unclear,” Illner said.
Vishnu said she was relieved a suspect had been arrested in connection with the abduction.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact the EPS at 780-423-4567 or #377 from a mobile phone. Anonymous information can also be submitted to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online.
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