'I am super proud of her:' Portage la Prairie, Man. mom speaks out after 9-year-old daughter escapes abduction attempt
A Portage la Prairie mother is on edge after her nine-year-old daughter escaped a potential abduction outside their home.
Fantasia Prince said her daughter Neara stepped into the back alley of her home Tuesday morning when the attack happened.
“She was checking out the weather because she was going to go for a walk with my mother,” Prince explained, who was out of town at the time while her mother cared for her kids.
That’s when a man grabbed Neara from behind.
According to Prince, her daughter bit him and was able to escape, running back inside the house.
Neara and Prince’s mother called her immediately to tell her about the attack.
“To hear that cry, it’s a really different cry. A mother knows when there’s something terribly wrong with her child,” Prince said.
Portage la Prairie RCMP said they received a report of an attempted child abduction of a nine-year-old girl just after 9 a.m. Tuesday.
The girl said an unknown man approached her from behind and grabbed her. She said he asked her if she wanted to come home with him. The girl said she bit the man and managed to free herself. She then ran home and police were called.
The girl was not physically injured.
Prince said she is incredibly proud of the way her daughter reacted in such a scary situation.
“I am super proud of her that with everything that was going on in her head as this was happening, she was still able to think to bite him. She got away and she’s nine years old,” Prince said.
Police said the suspect was seen running north down the back lane towards Lorne Avenue. Officers patrolled the area but did not find the suspect.
He is described as a white male, about 40 years old with an average build, about 160 centimetres (5’3”) tall with blue or green eyes. He has short, white hair with a bald spot and a long white beard. He was wearing a black, zip-up hoodie with grey sweats and reddish shoes.
Anyone who may have witnessed the incident, has any information or lives in the area of 10th Street NW who may have surveillance in the back lane is asked to contact Portage la Prairie RCMP at 204-857-4445.
According to Prince, Neara is in good spirits despite the scary situation.
“She’s just so calm about it. She’s not letting it affect her,” she said.
Prince said she is speaking out about the attack the hopes of catching the suspect.
“Stay close to your children, because you never know what can happen. It can happen in a matter of minutes, seconds.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING King Charles' cancer treatment progressing well, says Buckingham Palace
King Charles III’s doctors are 'sufficiently pleased' with his cancer treatment and he is expected to return to public-facing duties, Buckingham Palace announced on Friday.
BREAKING Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
'Unacceptable': Trudeau reacts after AFN chief says headdress taken from plane cabin
After the Assembly of First Nations' national chief said her headdress was taken from an airplane cabin this week, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the incident 'unacceptable' and a 'mistake' on the part of Air Canada.
DEVELOPING Bird flu outbreaks: WHO weighs in on public health risk
The World Health Organization said on Friday that the current overall public health risk posed by H5N1 bird flu virus is low, but for those with exposure to infected birds or animals the risk of infection is considered low-to-moderate.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
From faulty kids' cribs to flammable kids' bathrobes, here are the recalls of the week
Health Canada issued recalls for various items this week, including kids’ bathrobes, cribs and henna cones.
Taylor Swift dons Montreal designer's dress in 'Fortnight' video
A pair of Montreal designers' work has now been viewed over 41 million times. Taylor Swift dons a Victorian throwback black gown in her latest music video, 'Fortnight', designed by UNTTLD due Simon Belanger and Jose Manuel Saint-Jacques.
'Too young to have breast cancer': Rates among young Canadian women rising
Breast cancer rates are rising in Canada among women in their 20s, 30s and 40s, according to research by the University of Ottawa (uOttawa).
'Violation': CSIS had officer investigated after she reported a superior raped her
A CSIS officer's allegations that she was raped repeatedly by a superior in agency vehicles set off a harassment inquiry, but also triggered an investigation into her that concluded the alleged attacks were a “misuse” of agency vehicles by the woman.