Quebec toddler found alive and well after intensive 4-day search, police say

Claire Bell, the three-year-old missing since Sunday, was recovered live and good successful Ontario connected Wednesday, constabulary announced during an evening news league hours later. 

"This is wherefore we are police," said Sûreté du Québec Capt. Benoît Richard, expressing the joyousness successful uncovering the small miss harmless aft deploying each effort to find her.

"Now we exhale arsenic one, knowing she is safe," said acting Staff Sgt. Shaun Cameron with the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP).

The officers declined to supply details connected her health, but said she is doing well.

Police accidental determination are inactive fewer details they tin merchandise arsenic the probe is ongoing, but it was a drone that spotted Claire by the broadside of Highway 417, adjacent St. Albert, Ont., astir 150 kilometres westbound of Montreal, conscionable aft 2 p.m., according to Quebec provincial police.

She was alone but seemed healthy. OPP recovered the girl. She is present being cared for in hospital, constabulary say. 

"Obviously we're relieved she was found," SQ spokesperson Éloïse Cossette told reporters earlier successful the day, soon aft she was found. "This is the champion imaginable outcome."

She'd said constabulary were taking attraction of her and ensuring she had nutrient and water.

It was the best-case-scenario extremity to a hunt that had included about 150 officers and trained volunteers, a chopper and ATVs.

Quebec Premier François Legault took to X soon aft the small miss was found, thanking the SQ and their partners "who worked tirelessly to find her." He besides thanked the OPP for assisting. 

"What a alleviation and joyousness to larn that small Claire Bell has been recovered harmless and sound," helium wrote. "I besides privation to admit the publication of each those who provided accusation to the police, enabling them to find the small miss alive."

The three-year-old was reported missing on Sunday, westbound of Montreal. 

Searchers had combed fields and searched buildings for 3 days successful the anticipation of uncovering Claire. Initially, the hunt focused connected a wide swath around Coteau-du-Lac, Que., wherever Claire's parent had been connected Sunday. 

As the hunt continued, however, constabulary widened their net. Both the SQ and OPP said Wednesday there were reported sightings of the kid  in Ontario.

The SQ besides said they had located a witnesser who spoke to Claire's parent connected a workplace successful the Montérégie region, adjacent the Ontario border, connected Sunday. 

Claire's mother, Rachel-Ella Todd, 34, was arrested connected Monday and charged with kid abandonment.

In handcuffs and a acheronian reddish T-shirt, she made a brief appearance astatine the Salaberry-de-Valleyfield courthouse connected Wednesday.

She remains successful custody and is scheduled to look again June 20. 

WATCH | Police explicate however Claire was found:

Claire had past been seen astatine her residence adjacent Newman Avenue successful Montreal's LaSalle borough Sunday greeting astatine astir 9:45 a.m. ET. 

The SQ said Claire's parent reported her missing a fewer hours aboriginal astatine a store successful Coteau-du-Lac, astir 50 kilometres westbound of Montreal. 

An worker of the store said the woman drove her car into the parking batch and ran into the store successful a panic.

The SQ's Cossette said investigators had received hundreds of tips for the lawsuit by aboriginal Wednesday. The hunt efforts had previously focused connected areas adjacent the junction of highways 30 and 20 arsenic good arsenic areas adjacent Highway 40, west of the land of Montreal — an country constabulary said is hard to entree owed to dense vegetation.

According to Radio-Canada sources, Todd didn't look lucid and made confused remarks erstwhile she met with investigators. Sources besides told Radio-Canada an investigation of Todd's telephone revealed searches for children's ceremonial urns, arsenic was archetypal reported by the Journal de Montréal on Tuesday.

A video posted by Todd successful the hours before Claire's disappearance has surfaced connected TikTok. Radio-Canada has confirmed the relationship belongs to her.

In the abbreviated video, Todd is holding Claire and speaks into the camera saying: "You effort that again and this is going to get ugly." 

The caption reads: "Have you travel up against a parent with thing to lose????"

CBC does not cognize the discourse successful which the video was filmed. Quebec provincial constabulary said they were not commenting connected the video.

The complaint against Todd alleges that she abandoned her girl and enactment her beingness and wellness successful danger. If recovered guilty, the maximum condemnation is five years successful prison.

On Monday evening, constabulary announced they had recovered a dormant brownish Chihuahua astir Highway 30 successful the Vaudreuil-Dorion area. 

The canine matched the statement of the 1 thought to beryllium with the miss erstwhile she was past seen. As of Tuesday evening, constabulary were still moving to corroborate that it's the aforesaid dog.

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