Amber Alert for abducted 3-year-old extended to Quebec and northwestern New Brunswick

An Amber Alert issued for a three-year-old who police say was abducted in the Bas-Saint-Laurent area of Quebec has been extended province-wide and into New Brunswick.

Quebec’s provincial police say Jake Côté was last seen on Aug. 31 at 1 p.m. in Sainte-Paule, a municipality about an hour east of Rimouski.

On Wednesday, the Sûreté du Québec (SQ) extended the search to the entire province.

The RCMP has also alerted residents of the Madawaska, Restigouche and Gloucester areas of northwestern New Brunswick to notify police should they see the missing boy or his alleged kidnapper. A second amber alert was sent to residents of those areas Thursday to indicate the continuation of the search.

Jake Côté has short brown hair. He weighs 30 lbs (14 kilograms).

He was last seen wearing a blue t-shirt with a six or nine graphic in blue camoflauge, as well as silver stripes on the sleeves and bottom of the shirt.

He was also wearing dark blue jeans and beige boots.

He was allegedly abducted by his father, David Côté, seen in the image as well.

David Côté, 36, is 5’7″ (1.70 metres), has brown hair and blue eyes and weighs 180 lbs (82 kilograms).

He was last seen wearing a dark sweater with a black logo as well as black army-style pants.

QC POLICE SAY ALLEGED KIDNAPPER LIKELY HIDING WITH SON NEAR QUE. CITY

Quebec provincial police said Thursday they think a man who allegedly kidnapped his son earlier in the week is hiding with the child in a densely forested area about 400 kilometres northeast of the provincial capital.

The SQ has deployed numerous officers on foot, on ATVs, as well as in a helicopter.

“This is all with the goal of finding Jake Cote as fast as possible,” said Claude Dorion, SQ spokesperson in the region. “The Sainte-Paule municipality is situatied in the mountains at the south of the city of Matane, so it’s forest. It’s very big. It’s a vast territory, so it’s taking a lot of effort to do our work.”

Police say they did find a grey (hand painted), dirty all-terrain vehicle (ATV) in the area where searches are taking place.

“As a result, the suspect and his son could now be travelling on foot or by vehicle,” the SQ said. “We are asking citizens and motorists to pay attention to the physical and clothing description of David and Jake Côté, but not to venture near Sainte-Paule in order to avoid hindering the search, confusing the dog handlers or risking getting lost.”

Police warn that David Côté could be armed and is likely to “act on impulse.” Officers are asking anyone who sees him to not approach him.

The SQ says the investigation has led them to believe David Côté “has in-depth knowledge of the forest environment, and that he has the ability to organize himself quickly for survival in the forest.”

“It is therefore possible that he moved on foot to chalets and/or outbuildings in the area.”

Anyone with information on their whereabouts should call 911.