RCMP escalate hunt for girl's abductor

RCMP are stopping hundreds of vehicles as they step up their investigation of a man who abducted a seven-year-old girl in central Alberta before releasing her two hours later.

The girl was riding her bike near the arena in Bowden, south of Red Deer, on Thursday evening when a man drove up and forced her into the back seat of his truck. He also threw her dog and bike into the truck.

The suspect then drove south on Highway 2A through Olds and stopped north of Carstairs. At that time, the bike was discarded, said police.

Two hours after she was taken, the girl and her dog were dropped off on a gravel road northwest of Bowden. She walked to a farmhouse to get help.

The girl's bicycle was found near a pond north of Carstairs on Saturday but police are still looking for her abductor.

The girl's bicycle was found near a pond north of Carstairs on Saturday but police are still looking for her abductor. (RCMP)

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RCMP officers set up two checkstops in the town of Bowden and off Highway 2A near Carstairs on Thursday to canvass motorists and to hand out posters in an attempt to collect more information in the case.

Investigators will not say if the girl was sexually or physically assaulted. She was treated in hospital and has since returned to her Grade 1 class.

Police found the girl's purple bicycle near a pond north of Carstairs on Saturday but have not found the man described as having a thin build with an olive or darker complexion. He has short, spiked black hair and stubble.

Investigators are also looking for a full-sized, pickup truck that may be grey or gold with a dark-coloured interior and rubber floor mats.