EDMONTON -- An eight-year-old girl is recovering at home after she was taken by a man in a vehicle and sexually assaulted.
It happened on Tuesday in the McQueen neighbourhood, near 144 Street and 110 Avenue while she was walking home from a nearby house..
"The male driver pulled her into the vehicle, sexually assaulted her, and dropped her off nearby. The girl immediately reported the incident to her parents who were looking for her at the time," said Det. Amanda Ross.
Police said they don’t believe the girl knew the man who assaulted her. She was taken away by ambulance after the incident, but brought home later that evening.
Police are still looking for the man who committed the assault. He is described as white or light skinned, in his late 20s to mid-thirties with mid or short length hair, as well as some facial hair. He was wearing light brown pants, possibly well-worn looking and driving a white four door car or SUV.
Neighbours tell CTV News Edmonton they believe the girl was taken a short distance from the home. They also say they have multiple images of the vehicle that picked up the girl.
Police were back in the neighbourhood on Thursday collecting the surveillance footage.
One neighbour named Albert said when he began raising a family here in the 1980s crime wasn't an issue. Then a decade ago, car and garage break-ins began, but nothing like this.
"It's been very safe, very nice community. My kids ran around unsupervised all over the place. Everything was ok. This kind of changes everything."
Anyone with information about the man who took the girl is asked to call the police non-emergency line at 780-423-4567.
With files from CTV News Edmonton's David Ewasuk
