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Cedrika Provencher, who has been missing since August 1, 2007.

Missing Que. girl's father continues to hope

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CTV Montreal: Caroline Van Vlaardingen reports
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Date: Sun. Aug. 12 2007 10:42 PM ET

TROIS-RIVIERES, Que. — The freckled faced of nine-year-old Cedrika Provencher peers out from just about every lamp post and store front in this picturesque Quebec town.

It has been two weeks since Cedrika went missing -- every parent's worst nightmare and every community's greatest fear.

Celebrations at the community's annual family day stopped for a moment of silence on Sunday and residents gathered for an evening march in her honour.

"It's the first time something like this has happened here and I hope it's the last,'' said Ricardo Vargas, as he watched his children playing soccer.

 Police have suspended their ground search but Cedrika's father, Martin, said volunteers will fan out again Monday morning.

"We'll continue,'' Provencher told The Canadian Press.

He and Cedrika's mother attended the annual family day, where they were stopped by friends and strangers alike who offered hugs and support.

Provencher said the family, which includes Cedrika's 11-year-old sister, is trying to go on.

"We're trying to keep our morale up,'' he said.  "We have a lot of hope.''

Police said the ground search is on hold for now because teams have scoured the entire area.

Provincial police spokesman Richard Gagne said police will re-evaluate on Monday the information they have in hand and decide how to proceed.

"It (the search) is over quite simply because there is no ground left to cover,'' Gagne said Sunday at the police command post set up not far from where Cedrika was last seen.

"For the moment, it's over.''

Gagne said there are more than a dozen police following up on tips in the investigation. He said calls have slowed since the first few days after Cedrika disappeared, but there are still calls coming in.

Cedrika was last seen around 8 p.m. on July 31, not far from her home.

Witnesses have said she was looking for a dog, and three other young girls have since come forward to say a man approached them to help look for a lost dog.

The disappearance has taken its toll on Trois-Rivieres, a small city on the banks of the St. Lawrence River halfway between Montreal and Quebec City.

Several of the city playgrounds were empty on a sunny summer day. At a local soccer field, parents nearly outnumbered children during a weekend soccer game.

Resident David Morin said the sad case hits home with all parents.

"We share their tears,'' Morin said after tucking his son into a car seat at the family day celebration.

"You can understand what any parent would feel if they lost a child. We follow our children every time they leave the house. We stay close,'' he said.

Cedrika's grandfather, Henri Provencher, said the volunteers will paper the area with missing posters to make sure every person in the area know's Cedrika's face.

He said Cedrika, who is wearing her girl guide uniform in one of the missing posters, was a sweet girl liked by everyone.

"She was kind, almost to an extreme,'' Henri Provencher told The Canadian Press.

"She loved helping people. If it's a kidnapping, as we believe right now, that's probably what drew her in, helping someone, like she did all the time. She was really our little `love bug.'''

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