UPDATE 11:00 AM — Police have confirmed that the man and girl who were seen leaving the playground are in fact family members.
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A huge police investigation into a possible child abduction last night turned out to be a false alarm.
Police shut down intersections in Timberlea, stopping vehicles to ask about a 3-5 year old girl.
They also went door to door and searched by helicopter.
Someone reported seeing the girl leave the playground at St. Martha’s School with a man in a camouflage shirt, though police never said it was an abduction.
Police took down their checkpoints after 7 o’clock and took down the police tape at the school.
It wasn’t until quarter to ten that they finally announced they didn’t think there was actually an abduction.
And it wasn’t until 11 o’clock this morning that they revealed the man and girl turned out to be family members.
In all, more than 50 officers, police dog services, air services, bylaw enforcement, and search and rescue were used in the investigation.
Published August 1, 2012
