Vancouver police say a man lured a six-year-old girl from an elementary school playground and sexually assaulted her.
Police say it happened on Dec. 5 when the girl was in the playground area outside Sexsmith Elementary School in south Vancouver.
Const. Jason Doucette says the man took her to a nearby location where he assaulted her and brought her back to school the same day, but police weren’t notified until late the next day.
“She’s continuing to get support from us, and from the Vancouver School Board and her family. She is safe. There is no reason to believe that the victim and the suspect knew each other,” Doucette says.
The suspect is described as a darker-skinned man, about 30 years old, with brown or grey hair and wearing grey pants.
The department’s sex crimes unit is looking for dash-cam footage from anyone who may have been driving in the area between 8:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.
Doucette says in a release the department’s top priority is public safety, especially a child’s well-being.
“Our detectives have now had an opportunity to speak with the victim and follow up on leads and are using the information to ask for the public’s help. We want to hear from anyone who could have seen something or may have dash-cam footage,” he says.