Missing 3-year-old boy found dead in creek in Mississauga, Ont.: police

A three-year-old boy has been found dead a day after he went missing in a park in Mississauga, Ont., Peel police say.

In an update on Friday evening, Peel police Supt. Josh Colley confirmed that search crews located the body of Zaid Abdullah in a creek near Erindale Park at 5:40 p.m.

The toddler, who was possibly non-verbal, was last seen at 6:20 p.m. on Thursday in the park near Dundas Street West and Mississauga Road. The Credit River runs through the park.

"His family has since been notified, and we're working to provide them as much support as necessary during this horrific time," Colley said.

"We ask for privacy and respect the family's wishes as well we understand the profound impact on our community that this has had."

Colley said that the boy was located in a dam in the creek, where debris from downed trees had accumulated following heavy rain the past few days.

He pointed out that foul play was not suspected and the coroner will determine the cause of death.

"We're treating this as a tragedy for the family," Colley said.

When asked how the toddler ended up in the creek, the superintendent told reporters: "We're working with the family, the proximity of where the family was and the creek. I don't want to fill in the blank, but again, this is a tragedy, and you know we want to support the family as best we can during this time."

Earlier, police said Zaid was with his parents and "in a moment, he was just gone."

Colley said they poured all their resources, including marine and dive teams, into the search for the toddler after they were notified about his disappearance around 7 p.m. on Thursday.

Mississauga Fire, Toronto Police Service’s Mounted Unit and conservation authorities also helped in the search efforts.

“We utilized all the technology at our fingertips from the air, a large ground search, making sure that we don't miss any area,” Colley said.

Before Zaid was located, his mother, Eslam Adam, spoke to CTV News Toronto and said it was the family’s first time at the park.

“We looked near the bench. We looked near the river and outside, on the road, but he is nowhere,” she said, adding that Zaid was playing with another family’s children before he went missing. She said her family came to Canada a month-and-a-half ago.