THE CANADIAN PRESS
Calgary police confirm they have a man in custody for questioning in the case of a missing five-year-old Calgary girl and the death of her mother earlier this week.
The man, whose name has not been released, was arrested in Calgary late Wednesday evening.
``At approximately 10:30 p.m., we took a man into custody who we believe had been involved in Taliyah's disappearance,'' said Det. Andy Nguyen, a police spokesman.
Charges have not been laid and no details about the man's identity have been released, but Nguyen said it's believed he is connected to Taliyah's mother, Sara Baillie.
Nguyen also said an area east of the community of Chestermere, just east of Calgary, is being searched. The size and description of the spot and the number of personnel involved were not immediately known.
``They are hoping to find Taliyah,'' said Nguyen.
An Amber Alert was issued for Taliyah early Tuesday after she could not be found following the discovery of her mother's body in a northwest Calgary home hours earlier.
Police have said a girl matching Taliyah's description was seen with a stocky, black male around 11:30 a.m. Monday in the same area where the child and her mother lived. She was wearing red or pink boots with white polka dots and was carrying a reddish-coloured suitcase.
Investigators have also said footage from a closed-circuit camera shows Baillie and her daughter at a Dairy Queen around suppertime Sunday. Baillie appears to be speaking with a man and a boy. Police hope to identify the people in the footage and have posted still photos of the exchange on the City of Calgary's website.
The alert was still in effect Wednesday. Police have ruled Baillie's death a homicide.