Cdrika Provencher: Quebec provincial police get 200 tips from public

Quebec provincial police say theyare making progress on their investigationinto the death of Cdrika Provencher, the young girl whose remains were found last Friday, eight years after her disappearance.

Sgt. GuyLapointetold reportersThursdaypolice have received more than 200 tips from the public since the girl's remains were found.

Lapointe offered few details about what police have uncovered so far, saying he didn't want to compromise the investigation.

"Our absolute priority is to make an arrest, make charges and ultimately get a guilty verdict," he said.

He said they are "satisfied with the search" underway.

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He also confirmed thatpolice are still interested in the driver of a redAcurathat was seen near where the girl disappeared inTrois-Rivires, Que., in July 2007.

Two months after Cdrika disappeared, police announced they were searching for that car and its driver,a French-speaking man of medium build between age of30 and 40.

Police believeshe wasapproached by an adult who asked for help to finda missing dog.

No suspect has ever been publicly identified and no one has been arrested in connection with herdeath.

Snow blankets crime scene

Police ramped up the search for new evidence after theremains of the girl, who was nine years old at the time she went missing,were discovered Dec. 11 by hunters in a wooded area nearTrois-Rivires.

Investigators have set up a command centre at the edge of the woods and have dispatched a crew of specially trained officersto the area.

Lapointesaid policewill continue to scourthe area in the coming days, possibly through the holiday season.

Policeintensified the search earlier this week in an effort to gather information while the ground was still clear of snow.

By Wednesday morning, a thin layer of snow had blanketed the crime scene, but Lapointe said the weather wasn't preventing investigators from doing their job.

Franois Dor, a retiredSretduQubec officer who worked on the case, said the discovery of theremains marked"a major step" in the investigation.

He said improved DNAidentification methods could help police build a case.

Cdrika was last seen outside near her home, searching for someone's lost dog on a July evening in 2007.

Police say she was approached by an adult who asked for help to finda missing dog.She was neverseen again.