Ariel Kouakou

**Ariel Jeffrey Kouakou** (born 2008) was a young boy who disappeared after leaving his residence to go to a friend's house.

## Background

Ariel Kouakou was a ten-year-old boy who was in the fourth grade. He lived in the Ahuntsic-Cartierville borough of Montreal, Quebec. His family describes him as a shy, independent boy who adores his four-year-old sister. His father had, three weeks previously, punished him by taking away his video game privileges during the week for not improving his grades in Math class. Despite this, his parents claim he was not upset about it and that he understood. He was still allowed to watch TV and go to soccer practice. Ariel did not normally venture out on his own.

## Case

### Disappearance

Ariel Kouakou was last seen in the vicinity of Parc des Bateliers (Boatmen's Park) on March 12, 2018 at around 2 PM. At 7 AM Ariel's mother looked in on him before leaving for class, and he was sleeping. It was a pedagogical day at his school, and he was to go visit his friend that day to play; he had asked permission from his mother the day before. The last person to see Ariel was a family friend who had been staying with them following a house fire. Ariel left his home at around 12:30 PM (according to some reports) and walked to his friend's house, which is on the other side of the park. He was, however, spotted at 11:15 AM on a garage surveillance camera about 50 meters from his friend's house.

When Ariel knocked at his friend's house (as witnessed by neighbors), he was not home. He had gone with his mother, who worked at a daycare, to work. One neighbor observed Ariel holding a soccer ball when he knocked, but one was not observed in surveillance footage. At around 2 PM, a woman interacted with Ariel in the park and remarked that he was sad because he couldn't play with his friend. Some reports place this interaction at a little after 11:15 AM.

### Investigation

24 hours after Ariel was reported missing, an AMBER Alert was triggered. Although his disappearance did not qualify for an alert, one was issued due to the cold weather and his lack of history of running away. The AMBER Alert was up for only about ten hours. Investigators claimed that the cessation of the alert did not change the course of the investigation. Ariel's family believes he was kidnapped. They remarked that he may have been taken by surprise because he plays soccer and would have run away otherwise. A theory by detectives was that he had gone through the ice, as the Rivière des Prairies (River of the Prairies) runs along the park he was seen in. As such, extensive searches were conducted along the banks and in the water.

## Characteristics

* Black or dark brown eyes.
* Short black hair with a brush cut.
* Speaks French.

## Clothing

* Black hooded jacket with fur around the hood.
* Grey pants.
* Yellow shoes - "Adidas" brand.

## Gallery

Jacket similar to the one he was wearingShoes similar to the ones he was wearing
## Sources

* Ariel Kouakou at *NCMPUR*
* *La Presse* (French, archived)
* *La Journal de Montreal* (French)
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* *Le Devoir* (French)
* *CBC News*
* *The Montreal Gazette*
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