PRINCE GEORGE, B.C. — The RCMP are thanking a Canada Post employee in British Columbia for helping solve a case involving a nude toddler who had gone missing.
The three-year-old boy was wearing nothing but rubber boots when he was found in Prince George on a cold Wednesday morning.
Temperatures in Prince George barely were barely nudging zero, when RCMP Cpl. Craig Douglass says the child was spotted in the Spruceland neighbourhood on the city's west side.
Douglass says the matter was turned over to child welfare authorities and officers concluded no crime had occurred.
He thanks the public for quickly stepping up to keep the toddler safe and singles out the efforts of an observant Canada Post employee.
Douglass says an RCMP tracking dog was brought in to trace the youngster's steps, but the animal had lost the trail until the postal worker noticed some snowy footsteps overlooked by others.
"We were able to track them back. I'm sure, eventually, we probably would have got there, but the employee certainly sped things up, which was nice," says Douglass.
He says the child's chilly outing may have occurred despite the best efforts at supervision.
"I know how kids move, and sometimes they just slip by," he says.