Anjuli Patil

Police in Truro, N.S., say an experiment that involved launching a mannequin equipped with radio frequency equipment into a brook and river will help with the search for a missing three-year-old boy.

The Truro Police Service said the mannequin was placed in the Lepper Brook and Salmon River on Wednesday to help with the search for Dylan Ehler.

He was last seen&nbsp;near Queen and Elizabeth streets in Truro&nbsp;on May 6. One of&nbsp;his boots was&nbsp;found&nbsp;further down the brook at the mouth of the Salmon River.

In a news release, police said&nbsp;the dive team will be returning with a side sonar scanning device that should identify objects that need further inspection in the water.

The mannequin used in the experiment was approximately the same height and weight as the boy. By following the route the mannequin took, police hoped to learn how far Ehler may have travelled if he did fall in the water.

The mannequin experiment took place at Lepper Brook and the Salmon River on Wednesday.

truro search mannequin experiment

Police said the weather and water conditions were not exactly as they were on the day Ehler went missing.

"This trial was not meant to be an exact science; however, it is believed that the exercise did produce some useful information," police said in a news release.

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Dylan Ehler, 3, has been missing since May 6.

Dive team to return to river in search for missing Truro boy

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