A father and his four-year-old daughter who were the subjects of an extensive search in a Milton, Ont., conservation area were found dead late Sunday, police say.
The pair were discovered at the base of a rocky cliff with “significant trauma” that would be “consistent with a fall,” Halton Regional Police spokesperson Const. Ryan Anderson said at a Monday morning news conference.
The force’s homicide unit has taken control of the investigation, however it is not currently considered a homicide probe. The unit investigates any case involving the death of a child under five years old, Anderson said.
The effort to find the pair began around 7:30 p.m. ET Sunday, after police received word that they had not returned from an afternoon hike at Rattlesnake Point Conservation Area, which is about 60 kilometres west of downtown Toronto.
Their bodies were located just after 11 p.m., said Anderson.
A mix of rain and snow would have made for dangerous hiking conditions, Const. Steve Elms said in an earlier interview at the scene overnight.
“The terrain is pretty rugged,” he said. “The area is very forested and can be slippery.”
The conservation area includes several cliff-side trails, and hikers have died there in the past.
The pair’s next of kin have been notified, Elms added, though no names or other information have been released.
Their bodies were removed from the conservation area overnight with the help of firefighters.
Anderson said that the police search included Halton’s Search Incident Response Team, as well as the K-9 and tactical rescue units. It was hindered by the wintry weather, he said.
via Father, 4-year-old daughter found dead at base of cliff in Milton conservation area | CBC News
