FORT FAIRFIELD – Police believe a little girl who wandered from her home Wednesday may have been sucked into the rushing waters of the Aroostook River and drowned.

Three-year-old Alexandria “Allie” Wright was reported missing a little after noon, and the only trace of her are her boots, which searchers found by the side of the river, Lt. Pat Dorian of the Maine Warden Service said Wednesday evening.

Dorian said Allie’s mother, Mandy Wright, had just moved into the Fort Fairfield apartment complex near the Aroostook River last Saturday with Allie and her 1-year-old. Allie, who had a fascination with water and had taken swimming lessons, knew there was a river behind the apartment.

Police believe the toddler pushed open the apartment’s rear sliding glass door and trudged to the riverbank, which is only about 50 yards away. The little girl with fine blond hair and big blue eyes was wearing a light blue top, dark blue pants and her winter boots.

Minutes later, Wright called police to report that she couldn’t find her daughter anywhere. Shortly after 1:15 p.m. searchers found one of Allie’s pink boots on the riverbank, about 500 yards downriver from the apartment.

Dorian said between 50 and 75 people – including crews in two helicopters and in boats on the water – spent the afternoon searching the river, its banks and the apartment complex for any other signs of Allie. Because the river is only a mile or so from the New Brunswick border, Dorian said, Canadian crews were checking both sides of the river there to assist in the search effort.

The Fort Fairfield Police Department and Fire Department, Maine State Police, Presque Isle Police Department, Aroostook County Sheriff’s Department, U.S. Border Patrol and local personnel assisted in the search. But with the spring thaw in progress, the Aroostook River in downtown Fort Fairfield is very high, very muddy and very fast, Dorian said.

Throughout the day, ice floes slid downstream, and the coffee-colored water made searching difficult. At about 5:30 p.m., crews found another little pink boot caught in an eddy about a mile downriver from the apartment.

“Obviously, every indication is that she is in the river,” Dorian said.

Still, crews planned to continue their search until dark. The game warden lieutenant said searchers would begin looking for Allie again this morning and that a dive team would assist in the effort.

“This is a real tragedy. It’s unfortunate,” Dorian said.

While the search continues, Mandy Wright has had a circle of family members with her for support as well as a warden service chaplain who attends to the families of missing people.