UPDATE: Search continues for vulnerable 3-year-old boy who went missing in a Mississauga park
Published July 26, 2024 at 2:23 pm
![missing zaid mississauga](https://www.insauga.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/missing-zaid-missisauga-2.jpg)
Update: In an update Friday evening, police told reporters the boy was found dead in a creek in Erindale Park. No foul play is suspected and police are treating the death as a family tragedy.
Original story follows.
Emergency services continue to search Erindale Park in Mississauga where a three-year-old boy was last seen yesterday.
As of 1:30 p.m. Friday (July 26), there were no new updates on the search, Peel Regional Police spokesperson Const. Moulika Sharma told INsauga.com.
Earlier, Sgt. Jennifer Trimble told reporters Zaid Abdullah, 3, hasn’t been seen since around 6:20 p.m. yesterday.
Zaid and his parents were in Erindale Park, near Dundas Street West and Mississauga Road, and “in a moment, he was just gone,” Trimble said.
Police were contacted and started the search last night, joined by Peel Regional Paramedic Services and Mississauga Fire and Emergency Services. Rescue teams searched the Credit River that runs through the park.
Zaid is described as three feet tall, thin, with a short dark afro. He was wearing a yellow top with red writing and black pants — the same clothes he was wearing in the image released by police.
Trimble said many community members offered to aid in the search and police appreciate the outpouring of support. Police are doing a methodical search and do not need additional resources.
Police asked area residents to check their properties under bushes and other areas where only a child can fit.
“Think like a three-year-old, they like to hide,” Trimble said.
Multiple partners are continuing the search this afternoon, including mounted Toronto Police officers, Sharma said. Police helicopters and drones are searching and police have deployed all available resources to the park.
“We are doing the best we can and we aren’t going to stop until we find him,” Sharma said.
![missing boy mississauga](https://www.insauga.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/search-3-year-old-boy-mississauga.jpg)
Mississauga Fire and Emergency Service searched the river in Erindale Park last night. Photo: Mississauga Fire and Emergency Services
Asked why there wasn’t an Amber Alert issued, Sharma said Zaid went missing in the park as opposed to a mall or street. There is no reason to believe he was abducted.
Sharma said police continue to tell the public not to attend the area as the park is closed.
Police will post updates on social media.
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