Brantford Police say a girl was grabbed by a stranger after walking into her fenced backyard early Thursday morning.

According to police, a 15-year-old girl heard a noise coming from behind her house, in the Fairview Drive area, around 1 a.m.

Thinking it might be coming from her cat, she went into the yard to investigate.

At that point, police say, she was grabbed by the man and forcibly walked to a public park about a kilometre away, where she was allegedly sexually assaulted.

Police were contacted not long after, and utilized a canine team in a search of the area.

While the search failed to turn up the alleged attacker, police say they did find evidence pertaining to their investigation.

Police are asking stores in the area to review any security footage shot between 12:30 a.m. and 2:30 a.m. Thursday.

“At this point, we’re still looking for anyone that might have seen these two people,” said Insp. Dave Wiedrick.

They describe their suspect as a six-foot-tall white man with a medium build and a beard. He was wearing a black hoodie and black Adidas pants with striped legs.

Information on the girl’s condition was not immediately available.