A four-year-old girl, who died along with her father while on a hike in a Milton, Ont. conservation area, has been remembered by her mother as the “most special girl.”
Halton Regional Police say an extensive search was launched in Rattlesnake Point Conservation Area around 7:30 p.m. after the pair did not return from the hike.
Police said the father and daughter, identified by her mother as Keira Kagan, arrived at the park between 2:30 and 3 p.m. and had planned to return by 5:30 p.m.
About 45 officers from various units at Halton Regional Police, including multiple firefighters, were called to search for the pair. Police said the conservation area is very forested and encompasses a cliff, making the search efforts difficult.
“The terrain is very rugged, very well treed and it can be slippery,” Const. Steve Elms said on Sunday night.
Police said the bodies of Kagan and her father, suffering significant trauma, were located by officers just after 11 p.m. at the base of an escarpment.
Kagan’s father has not yet been identified.
Speaking to reporters on Monday morning, Kagan’s mother, Jennifer, said her daughter was the “most wonderful, kind-hearted girl.”
“Keira was the absolute most special girl you could ever ask for,” Jennifer told reporters at her home.
“Just absolutely resilient and smart and spunky, loved to get dressed up to get into her princess dress and be fancy. Loved to just hang out. She had a shirt that said ‘I’m going to change the world’ and I believe that Kiera truly thought she could. She was that sort of girl.”
“And now I’m going to try what I can and do that for her.”
Jennifer said that Keira lived with her and her stepfather, Philip Viater, in York Region. Viater said he dropped off Keira with her father on Friday night for the two of them to spend the weekend together.
FULL ARTICLE AT Four-year-old girl found dead with father after hike remembered as ‘most special girl’ | CTV News
