09-08-2011, 07:29 PM
search has expanded into Alberta and Washington State.
Vancouver Sun
SPARWOOD, B.C. — From the thick underbrush surrounding the half-completed mountain suburb of Sparwood Heights, all that can be heard is the sound of a dozen trekking feet and a lone female voice wailing: "Kienan. Mommy loves you," again and again.
It's a trigger word, explained Simon Piney, one of the managers of the search-and-rescue effort trying to locate three-year-old Kienan Hebert.
"Kids are often scared by strangers, so if he hears a bunch of people crashing through the woods yelling: 'Hey, Hey, Hey.' He's more likely to hide," Piney said.
Fears for the safety of the missing B.C. boy grew on Thursday as the search continued for Kienan and the sex criminal being linked to his disappearance.
Kienan disappeared overnight Tuesday from his home in Sparwood, a southeastern B.C. town near the Alberta border.
Crews have expanded their search, aided by helicopters, dogs and groups of volunteers, while police continue to look for Randall Hopley, an area man with an extensive criminal record for assault, sexual assault and 12 break-ins.
The effort has all but shut down the tiny mountain town as residents pulled out their boots to aid in the search.
The Hebert house sits in a partially developed zone near Sparwood, just off Highway 43, surrounded by treed mountains and the nearby soot-stained coal mines. Sparwood Heights is still a mixture of new, empty homes, dirt lots and the occasional patch of perfect lawn. The Hebert house, where plastic toys sit unused in the unfenced backyard, is now circled by yellow police tape.
Local residents have been warned not to speak to the media, whose satellite trucks have flooded the barren suburb. WHY NOT??
Piney said local search and rescue teams have already scoured the most obvious places little Kienan could be hiding — empty attics, basements, fields and trees. A fire truck made the rounds Wednesday night with its lights flashing.
"Little kids love fire trucks," explained another search and rescue manager, Ed Ehrler.
![[Image: 5372596.bin?size=620x400s]](http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/5372596.bin?size=620x400s)
Vancouver Sun
SPARWOOD, B.C. — From the thick underbrush surrounding the half-completed mountain suburb of Sparwood Heights, all that can be heard is the sound of a dozen trekking feet and a lone female voice wailing: "Kienan. Mommy loves you," again and again.
It's a trigger word, explained Simon Piney, one of the managers of the search-and-rescue effort trying to locate three-year-old Kienan Hebert.
"Kids are often scared by strangers, so if he hears a bunch of people crashing through the woods yelling: 'Hey, Hey, Hey.' He's more likely to hide," Piney said.
Fears for the safety of the missing B.C. boy grew on Thursday as the search continued for Kienan and the sex criminal being linked to his disappearance.
Kienan disappeared overnight Tuesday from his home in Sparwood, a southeastern B.C. town near the Alberta border.
Crews have expanded their search, aided by helicopters, dogs and groups of volunteers, while police continue to look for Randall Hopley, an area man with an extensive criminal record for assault, sexual assault and 12 break-ins.
The effort has all but shut down the tiny mountain town as residents pulled out their boots to aid in the search.
The Hebert house sits in a partially developed zone near Sparwood, just off Highway 43, surrounded by treed mountains and the nearby soot-stained coal mines. Sparwood Heights is still a mixture of new, empty homes, dirt lots and the occasional patch of perfect lawn. The Hebert house, where plastic toys sit unused in the unfenced backyard, is now circled by yellow police tape.
Local residents have been warned not to speak to the media, whose satellite trucks have flooded the barren suburb. WHY NOT??
Piney said local search and rescue teams have already scoured the most obvious places little Kienan could be hiding — empty attics, basements, fields and trees. A fire truck made the rounds Wednesday night with its lights flashing.
"Little kids love fire trucks," explained another search and rescue manager, Ed Ehrler.