Father suspected in nearly week-long disappearance of son faces weapons charge

MONTREAL – A 36-year-old Quebec man who became the subject of a provincewide manhunt after his three-year-old son went missing is now facing a weapons-related charge in the case.

Audrey Roy Cloutier, spokeswoman for the director of prosecutions, confirms the man is currently charged with one count of discharging a firearm.

Police issued an Amber Alert that remained in effect for four days after the boy went missing on Tuesday and investigators named the father as a suspect in his disappearance.

The pair were found on Saturday not far from where they were last seen in Sainte-Paule, Que., northeast of Quebec City, and were confined in a house.

Quebec provincial police allege the suspect used a firearm while negotiations unfolded as police surrounded the house.

Police say no one was injured, and later reported the boy was reunited with his mother.

The case was adjourned until Oct. 5 and the suspect remains in custody.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on Sept. 6, 2021.