An Amber Alert remains in effect for Hailey Dunbar Blanchette, a toddler whose father was found dead yesterday in a home in Blairmore, Alta., in what appears to be a murder-abduction.

“This is a terrifying ordeal,” said Blair Painter, mayor of Blairmore, a small mountain community where the two-year-old was living with her father and grandfather.

“News travels quickly and traumatic news travels very quickly,” Painter said.

The home is now at the centre of two parallel investigations — a homicide and a missing persons case.

“The scene at the residence that we found is concerning to the highest degree,” said RCMP Supt. Tony Hamori.

Hamori says that when Mounties arrived at the home on Monday, they found the body of 27-year-old Terry Blanchette.

Police have confirmed that the girl isn’t with her mother, who lives in Edmonton. They have had no further developments to report.

Witnesses told investigators they heard loud noises around 3:30 a.m. Monday, and saw a newer-model white van with a large antenna on the back, speeding away.

Without any suspects, RCMP say any details on the white van are critical.

“We could be dealing with a single suspect or more than that… At this point in time, we are really seeking to get further information about this white van.”

The apparent murder-abduction has shocked the community of Blairmore.