Police clarify they’re still searching for suspect in toddler sex assault

HALIFAX – Halifax Regional Police say they have concluded their investigation into the sexual assault of a toddler at the request of the family but further clarified Tuesday it doesn’t mean investigators have stopped searching for a suspect.

Police received a report Friday evening a man in the area of Wood Avenue, off North Street between Gottingen and Brunswick, approached a toddler around 7:30 p.m., leading her away from a group behind a nearby building where he touched her in a sexual manner.

“The parents don’t want to continue, they feel they’ve been traumatized enough and don’t want to put their child through anything further,” explained Cst. Dianne Woodworth early Tuesday.

She further clarified in a release later in the day that because of the more broad threat to public safety the suspect poses, police would continue their own investigation to identify him as soon as possible.

The description, coming from the child, is basic. He’s described as a black man with a chubby nose and cheeks, he was wearing a bicycle helmet and riding a bicycle.

No arrests have been made and they have received no other reports of children being abused in the area and Woodworth noted in the release that police were using a national database to find any similar crimes.

The parents’ decision not to move forward at this phase would mean a suspect would not be able to be charged for that specific crime and police would not be able to initiate the court process.

Woodworth added the option to reopen the case is available to the parents at any time and said in a release that generally, victims in sexual assault cases will take time to “digest” the situation before making a final decision.

She also called the incident terrifying.

“These parents were watching their child, this was a split second thing that happened,” she said. “I was talking to friends and co-workers and we all said, ‘This could happen to anybody.'”

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact police at 902-490-5016 or Crime Stoppers.

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