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Friends and relatives of a slain two-year-old girl say the toddler was the reason her dad “turned his life around.”

RCMP believe Hailey Dunbar-Blanchette was taken Monday from a Blairmore home where she lived with her father, 27-year-old Terry Blanchette, whose lifeless body was found the same day. Human remains discovered Tuesday night were later confirmed to be the missing child.

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Hailey’s aunt, Amanda Blanchette, said though her brother had previous run-ins with police, he changed once he became a father.

“The minute he found out he was going to be a father, he turned his life around,” she said.

“We were all very skeptical. He became a completely different person, he lived for his little girl.”

Blanchette worked as a cook in a restaurant and was described as a doting father by friends and his boss. Colleagues spoke fondly of him, and his adoration for his daughter was well-known.

Before Hailey was born, Blanchette had been fined several times for minor offences.