A 4-Year-Old Toddler & Her Father Have Died After Hiking A Popular Trail In Ontario

Halton Police made a tragic discovery late Sunday night after finding the bodies of a missing toddler and her dad. The two had gone for a hike at Milton's Rattlesnake Point Conservation Area but did not return home. After conducting a search, the two were found at around 11 p.m. on Sunday, according to Halton Police. According to the news release, they arrived at the trail somewhere between 2:30 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. on Sunday and were expected to return by around 5:30. Police were called a little while after 7:30 p.m. that same night when they still had not returned home.

That's when the search was promptly begun, "considering the weather conditions and challenging terrain," according to the release.The police sent out a K9 unit, Search Incident Response Team (SIRT), the Mobile Command Unit, and frontline officers to look for the two missing persons.They did manage to find two bodies of "a male adult and a female child" at 11:06 p.m.Halton Police told Narcity that, "the investigation is very early and cause of death has not been determined."

"The victims were located at the base of the escarpment with obvious signs of trauma to their body, which could be consistent with a fall. We haven’t released information on the identity or residence of the victims."

"I will also confirm this investigation is not being considered a homicide investigation at this time. It is being conducted by our homicide unit because of a policy requiring that unit to investigate the death of a child under 5 years old."*

Carl Hanstke from 680 News reports that there are high cliffs in the area.Next of kin has been notified of the tragedy, according to Halton Police. The names of the deceased have not yet been released while this investigation continues. 

It's still not clear exactly where within the trail they were found. 

Right now, the police are only able to send out condolences while they continue on with their investigation. 

"Our thoughts are with the family and friends of the deceased. This is an unimaginable tragedy, and we grieve with them at this time," says the release. 

However, this isn't the first time that a death has been reported on these trails. 

Back in 2017, a 23-year-old hiker fell to her death in the same area. 

*Article has been updated to include a statement from Halton Police