Hailey Dunbar-Blanchette, missing Alberta toddler, found dead

The Amber Alert forHaileyDunbar-Blanchettewascancelled Tuesday nightafter herbody was found.

The missing Alberta toddler was found in a rural area, RCMP Supt. Tony Hamori said at a short press conference after 10 p.m.The two-year-old was taken from her Blairmore home in southwest Alberta just hoursbefore her father, 27-year-old TerryBlanchette,was found dead on Monday morning.

Amber Alert for Hailey Dunbar-Blanchette is no longer in effect. https://t.co/ABfg7zPjxc

—@RCMPAlberta

Police found the girl's remains while conducting a search Tuesday afternoon.

"This is a sad day for the investigators, the citizens of Blairmore and all the Canadians who hoped Hailey would be found and returned unharmed," Hamori told the media.

RCMPhave arrested a suspect in the investigation, and charges are pending. They did not answer questions on Tuesday night, but said they will provide a further update at 10 a.m. MT on Wednesday.

Friends and family gathered inBlairmoreon Tuesday night for a vigil. Those attending sayRCMPvictim services broke the news to the gathered crowd.

"This is the toughest kind forpolice officers to deal with when you're dealing with a missing child in a circumstance like this,"Supt.TonyHamoritold the media earlier Tuesday.

RCMP foundBlanchette's body inside the home where he lived with his fatheron Monday. He wasfoundjust after11 a.m., and that's whenpolice were alerted that his young daughter was missing.

A newer-model white van with a large antenna on the back was seen speeding away from the home at 3:30 a.m., but police believe they have recovered the vehicle.

Police said the suspect is a 22-year-old man who lives in Blairmore, but theywould not give details on what led to the arrest or where exactly it took place.

Hamoridid not say ifthe suspect was known to Hailey and her family.

Mother co-operating with RCMP

Amber Alerts usually remain in place for 24 hours, but the one for Haileythat wasissued Monday had beenrenewed Tuesday. It coveredAlberta, B.C., Saskatchewan and Montana before being cancelled.

"This is a terrifying ordeal," said Blair Painter, mayor of the small mountain community of Blairmoreinthe Crowsnest Pass."News travels quickly and traumatic news travels very quickly."

Hailey's mother,Cheyenne Dunbar, has travelled down to Blairmore,and is co-operating withthe investigation. CBC reporter Carolyn Dunn said she was at the vigil when RCMP informed the crowd that they had found a child's body.

She said friends and family surrounded Dunbarto help give hersupport as she left the park where it was being held.

Corette Harrington, a family friend of theBlanchettes, saidshe is in shock.

"I don't understand why someone did this," said Harrington.

UPDATE: Alberta RCMP have confirmed that the remains found are those of two-year-old Hailey Dunbar-Blanchette. https://t.co/zuTWhqw4yv

—@CBCTheNational

Hailey'happy all the time'

Harrington has two daughters and saysHaileylovedto play with them when she came over to their house.

"She's so funny.She's happy all the time always happy," she said."She does this adorablenose scrunch that she's done since she's about fourorfive monthsold and it's quite comical."

The casehas shocked the community.

The Municipality ofCrowsnestPass houses residents ofBlairmore, Coleman,Hillcrestand Bellevue, as well as the historical site at Frank Slide.

RCMPsay a homicide investigationinto the death of 69-year-oldHanneMeketechin Coleman last week is not connected, but the deaths havemany citizens in theCrowsnestPasson edge.

See a GoogleStreet View look at the home at the centre of the Amber Alert investigation.