A toddler has been found alive over 100 miles from her home after an extensive four-day search, Quebec officials say.
Claire Bell, 3, was tracked down by a drone in a field along Highway 417 – 110 miles west of Montreal, where she lives, just after 3 p.m. Wednesday, Sûreté du Québec, the provincial police, said.
Bell was last seen at her home in Montreal's LaSalle borough at around 9:45 a.m. Sunday.
A few hours later, her mother, Rachel-Ella Todd, 34, reported her missing at a souvenir store in Coteau-du-Lac, about 30 miles west of the city.
An employee at the store said Todd drove her car into a parking lot, then ran into the store barefoot in a panic.
The employee said Todd claimed she had lost her child and was not able to remember what happened. Another employee then dialled 911.
On Monday, investigators arrested Todd and charged her with child abandonment, the QPP told The Independent.
A brown chihuahua, which matched the description of one believed to be with Bell when she was last seen on Sunday morning, was found dead, close to the souvenir store where the child was reported missing.
It has emerged that investigators found searches for children's funeral urns after scanning Todd’s phone following her arrest, reports Le Journal de Montréal.
Speaking at a press conference Wednesday, QPP Sgt. Éloïse Cossette stated that the OPP received a tip regarding the girl and her mother.
Police also released a video of Todd’s 2007 grey Ford Escape, with a “Baby on Board” sticker on the right passenger-side corner of the rear window.
Sgt. Cossette went on to describe the moments after OPP officers found the young girl.
“She [Claire] was speaking with the police officers; she was alive,” he said. “We provided some first aid, water, and food for now, and she’s been taken care of by the paramedics. The priority is to make sure she is OK and healthy.
“We are happy that she’s alive – it’s the best scenario possible,” Sgt. Cossette added.
Bell’s mother appeared at the Salaberry-de-Valleyfield courthouse in Quebec on Wednesday in handcuffs. She is scheduled to appear in court again on June 20. If found guilty, she could face a five-year prison sentence for child abandonment.
Authorities have thanked the public for their help in locating Bell.
“The officers would not have located the little girl without critical information from the public,” said OPP acting Staff Sgt. Shaun Cameron.
A joint QPP-OPP investigation into Bell’s disappearance is still ongoing, officials said.
Anyone who may have seen Todd’s vehicle between 9:45 a.m. and 3 p.m. Sunday is asked to come forward.
The Independent contacted the OPP for information.
Man arrested after 15-year-old girl who was missing for a year is found in his apartment
Cops were searching for missing people. Inside a home, they found remains stored in jars
Police say ‘crucial clue’ could be key to death of woman stabbed at home
Missing teen rescued a mile off the Florida coast clinging to his body board
