NIPAWIN, Sask. — RCMP say the father of a seven-year-old girl who is the subject of an Amber Alert in Saskatchewan has been found dead.
The girl, Nia Eastman, has not been found and the Amber Alert remains in effect.
Police say Adam Jay Eastman, 45, was found on a rural property in northeastern Saskatchewan near Smeaton with self-inflicted injuries.
They say there is no indication there is anybody else involved in Nia's disappearance.
"Our focus right now is locating Nia," said Sgt. Earl LeBlanc at a news conference in Regina. "Her whereabouts are unknown."
Nia, who is described as Caucasian with blond, shoulder-length hair, was to have been returned home to her mother by 7 p.m. on Wednesday night.
Police are using dogs and drones in their search for Nia, but are asking the public to keep looking for her as well.
Please RT. We need to find this little girl. #AmberAlert continues for 7yr old Nia Eastman of Nipawin. pic.twitter.com/gjr1rlxjp3
— Saskatoon Health Reg (@SaskatoonHealth) November 10, 2016
"The investigation is ongoing. We have deployed highly trained investigators and specialized equipment to the area to assist with the search for Nia," LeBlanc said.
A vehicle believed to be operated by Eastman was found around 10:00 p.m. Wednesday on a rural property near the community of Snowden, about 240 kilometres northeast of Saskatoon.
A Facebook page belonging to a Jay Eastman features several photos of a little girl smiling happily with her father. People who knew Eastman say he went by his middle name "Jay."
On Tuesday afternoon, a day before Nia was to be returned to her mother, there was a photo posted of the girl and an unidentified woman with the super-imposed caption "My World."
On Wednesday, the page's cover photo was changed to a picture of a skull and crossbones with the slogan: "Leave me alone. I've had enough."
There were no further posts after that.
A business owner in Choiceland, Sask., said Eastman had been renting a house there and dropped in to talk to her pretty much every day.
The woman, who did not want her name used, said Eastman and his wife had separated about two months ago. She said Nia was their only child, although Eastman had two children from a previous common-law relationship.
"He was having mental issues. Him and his wife split up. It wasn't a good situation," she said.
The woman said Eastman had worked at a Co-op for a while, but was currently unemployed.
