Missing Poplar River First Nation child found dead

A missing child was found dead on Poplar River First Nation on Saturday.

Mounties responded to a report of a missing six-year-old girl in the community, which is located about 350 kilometres north of Winnipeg, shortly before 6 a.m., RCMP said in a news release.

Officers learned the child’s father woke up and noticed the front door was wide open and the girl was no longer in the home.

Police, firefighters, family and community members began looking for the girl immediately. As the search escalated, boats were launched into the water, the First Nation’s band deployed a drone and local search and rescue volunteers joined the effort, RCMP said.

At 10:30 a.m., the child was found on the south side of the Nanowin River and pronounced dead. The investigation is ongoing, the release said.