| Case Type:
No Longer Missing
Missing Date: Wednesday 08th April 2009 Missing From: Woodstock Ontario Missing Country: Canada Sex: Female DOB: 15/Jul/2000 Age Now: 10 |
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Specific Details:
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Known Circumstances:
Worry is growing over the fate of a missing eight-year-old girl from Woodstock, Ont. Victoria Stafford, a Grade 3 student at Oliver Stephens Public School, disappeared Wednesday afternoon. A day later, police released security video taken from a high school up the street from Stafford's elementary school. Though the quality is poor, it shows what investigators have since confirmed is the missing child walking with a person of interest on Fyfe Avenue. The video was shot at about 3:32pm Wednesday and it's the last known sighting of Stafford. She was last seen wearing a black Hannah Montana jacket with a white fur-lined hood, a black velvet skirt, black and white shoes and a purple and pink Bratz bag. Anyone with information is asked to call police at (519) 537-2323 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), to remain anonymous. |
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If you have any information on Victoria Stafford (Tori) please contact the official numbers above immediately. Alternatively, you can e-mail us here at Help Find My Child - you can do this in strictest confidence - we will make sure your information is passed on to the relevant places. |
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God bless
may God bless Victoria and her family.
Thinking of Victoria Stafford, one year on.
Our thoughts are with Victoria's family on this sad anniversary.
http://www.wix.com/CanadasAngel/Remembering-Victoria
updates: http://tinyurl.com/ye7kyeu
Victoria Stafford Updates
News and further updates on Victoria's case can be found here
Victoria Stafford Investigation and Trial
Man will plead not guilty in Victoria Stafford's death
One of the two people charged in the death of eight-year-old Victoria Stafford plans to plead not guilty, according to his lawyer.
Michael Rafferty "will certainly be pleading not guilty," said lawyer Dirk Derstine, whose client made a court appearance Friday morning in Woodstock, Ont., via video link from a London detention centre.
Rafferty, 28, and Terri-Lynne McClintic, 19, have each been charged with first-degree murder and kidnapping.
Continues/....
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/toronto/story/2009/08/21/ont-stafford-rafferty.html
new account for donations
The "Rodney's Kilometres for Kids" account has closed. The new account name for donations is simply "Kilometres for Kids". Please visit
http://www.eye-zon.com/EyezonBlack20090213/Kilometres_For_Kids/Kilometres_For_Kids.html
for full information on donating. Thanks.
Remembering Victoria
This is the link to a website I created in memory of Tori.
http://www.wix.com/CanadasAngel/Remembering-Victoria
I met Rodney when he stopped in my city of North Bay, Ontario and I am still amazed by his strength & courage throughout this whole tragic situation. He is truly a kind, giving and genuine person.
Beautiful Site Madison, Thank You.
What a lovely site Madison. Thank you for sharing it.
Stafford begins his journey
Surrounded by family and friends, Rodney Stafford began his 3,453-kilometre fundraising journey Wednesday morning.
Stafford, wearing his “Kilometres for Kids” sponsors’ T-shirt and a blue bike helmet, left the Calvary Church parking lot with a police escort — a cruiser and the Oxford Community Police Service’s two core bear officers, who joined the procession on their own bicycles. The group of supporters cheered as Stafford rode the first few metres of his 31-day trek,
“What better way to bring our children’s safety into the spotlight,” Stafford said before leaving.
<Continues>
http://woodstocksentinelreview.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1686655
Father of murdered Ont. girl Tori Stafford hosts fundraiser
The father of slain Woodstock, Ont., girl Tori Stafford is hosting a kick-off to his planned bike ride to Alberta.
Rodney Stafford's Kilometres for Kids trip to raise money for Child Find Ontario begins with a 12-hour event Saturday at the fairgrounds in Woodstock.
Terry Smith, assistant director of Child Find Ontario, says families can enjoy games, face-painting and raffles and also have an opportunity to get their children fingerprinted.
Parents will get to keep a booklet with their child's fingerprints and can enter other details about their child to help police in an emergency.
Rodney Stafford leaves Wednesday to cycle more than 3,000 kilometres to Edmonton and release one purple balloon on a mountain his little girl once visited.
<Continues>
http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5heiV9ayovDk...
Remains of Tori Stafford returned to family, private funeral pla
WOODSTOCK - The remains of Victoria Stafford have been returned to her family in Woodstock who are planning a private funeral.
Oxford community police Chief Rod Freeman says the remains were returned this week from the Centre of Forensic Sciences in Toronto.
(...)
Freeman says police are still combing the area where Tori's remains were found.
http://www.thebarrieexaminer.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1679885
Time to join in abject apology - Tori Stafford
On a forlorn street in Woodstock this week, the cursive script of a handmade note bore a heartbroken mother's plea.
"Please respect my families wishes today and give us peace and time to assess everything that is happening," it said. "I will contact the media if I wish to speak to anyone. Please do not knock on the door."
Tara McDonald's poignant supplication marked the end of what had been an extraordinarily public campaign to get back her missing daughter, Victoria Stafford. It was a crusade conducted beneath the glare of TV lights, under the scrutiny of thousands of townsfolk and through the whispers of a thousand cynics. And now it was all over, but the burial.
<continues>
http://www.lfpress.ca/newsstand/News/Columnists/Cornies_Larry/2009/07/25/10256786-sun.html
Tori's dad remembers his 'beautiful' child
Victoria Stafford's father, Rodney, said Wednesday he can't understand why his daughter had to die, but that he hopes she will be remembered as the happy, eight-year-old girl she was.
"Over the past three months, everybody has come to learn who Victoria was," he told CTV news Wednesday. "She was a beautiful little girl, sweet and innocent. Just taken way too early."
http://www.nationalpost.com/story.html?id=1815879
Tori Stafford's family feel grief, relief
Fourteen weeks after his little girl clasped the hand of a woman in a white puffy coat and was led away to her death, Rodney Stafford faced the absolute loss of hope with both grief and relief.
"It is tough, but to at least know ... it makes you feel a little bit better," Stafford said yesterday as he picked up his son, Daryn, from the house of Tara McDonald, Tori's mother.
Stafford said he and his son would be leaving town for the day.
For her part, McDonald wasn't saying anything. After holding daily news conferences on her front porch during the search for her daughter, McDonald spent most of the day at home as friends and relatives came and went.
In the middle of the afternoon, McDonald left the house in the company of two women and her boyfriend, departing in a car without saying anything.
A woman emerging from the house said McDonald was holding up "the best that could be expected."
<Continues>
http://www.thestar.com/news/ontario/article/669808
"An angel named "Tori"
I sent a Poem that was blessed to the Mother of "Tori". I'm hoping that she received it and that all blessings are sent to your family. I know that God will deliver you comfort. One can't even possibly imagine how your heart has ached, unless they have been through a tragedy like this. My heart is thankful that Tori has been found, and I knew she would. Why do we have demons like this in this world. How can any human being ever do a horrific thing like this. Tori is an Angel and I know she will be watching the stafford's and blessing them all the days of their lives.
Relief, mourning as Victoria Stafford's remains found
It was the conclusion that everyone had dreaded: the sad end to the life of a happy, blond-haired eight-year-old girl snatched off a street in Woodstock, Ont., more than three months ago.
Ontario Provincial Police confirmed Tuesday that human remains found in a secluded country field over the weekend have been “positively identified” as those of third-grader Victoria (Tori) Stafford.
“Our community has gone through a terrible, terrible experience in these last three and a half months,” Oxford community police chief Rod Freeman said at a news conference Tuesday.
“The discovery Victoria’s remains on Sunday will help us, bring us just little bit of closure. Certainly we hope that bringing Victoria to our community and her family will bring some sense of relief to ... all the family.”
<Continues>
http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Police+confirm+remains+those+Victoria+S...
Police confirm remains found are those of missing girl Tori
Police have confirmed that remains found Sunday in rural Ontario are those of missing girl Tori Stafford.
The remains found in Mount Forest by police were identified after a forensic examination conducted at Toronto's Centre of Forensic Sciences.
http://www.cp24.com/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20090721/090721_tori/200907...
Dental records
The OPP have confirmed that dental recods were used to identify the remains, and that they have not yet determined how she died :(
Body confirmed to be that of Victoria Stafford
It's just been confirmed on a news conference that the body found is Victoria Stafford :(
R.I.P little Tori xx
Family of abducted Ontario girl, Tori Stafford, believe body fou
The family of little Tori Stafford expressed a sense of relief Monday that the remains of the eight-year-old girl abducted 3 1/2 months ago have most likely been found by police.
(...)
She said the family hadn't given up hope even after two people were charged.
"We've said all along until we had her physical being we would not speculate on her spiritual being," she said.
Tori's father, Rodney, said news that the extensive police search of the fields, rivers and woods of rural Ontario had finally yielded a body was not what the family was hoping to hear.
"Out of the scenarios we came up with, it was the worst of the possibilities," he said.
He said if the remains are confirmed to be those of Tori following examination at Toronto's Centre of Forensic Sciences there will be a private family funeral, and that will give him peace.
He said he will say his own personal goodbye at the top of an Alberta mountain after a bike ride across Canada in honour of his slain daughter.
He will delay his Aug. 2 departure date for the 3,400-kilometre ride if the funeral has not been held by that date
<Continues>
http://www.cp24.com/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20090721/090721_tori/200907...
Press Conf Due Today
Police in Woodstock, Ontario have called a news conference for this morning where they are expected to confirm that the human remains found Sunday - are that of 8-year-old Tori Stafford.
Tori's family believe the little girl has been found.
Her father - Rodney Stafford - said at a news conference Monday that police alerted the family Sunday night that they had found human remains in Mount Forest, about two hours drive northwest of Toronto.
Police have also confirmed to the family that the remains are those of a young child. However, officers have not confirmed that the remains are in fact Victoria's.
Rodney Stafford said although it is not the ending his family was hoping for, their thoughts can now be put to rest.
"No one wants to believe their child has been murdered," he said.
"If it is her, at least I don't have to continue being out and about looking. Up until last night I was still doing it," he said. "You can't help but think, 'is that her just up ahead? Is that her voice in the background ?' You can't help it."
Source
@HelpFindMyChild <<< twitter
HFMC Dedicated to helping families find their missing children
Victoria, known as "Tori" by
Victoria, known as "Tori" by family and friends, was last seen alive on April 8 in Woodstock, Ont. A surveillance camera close to her school captured the girl walking with stranger.
On May 20, police arrested two people - a male and female suspect.
Investigators began searching the area around Fergus, Ont. for Victoria's body after receiving a tip from the female suspect, but police never found her remains. The suspect told police of landmarks that may have been near the spot where Victoria's body was left.
"When you're dealing with a geography that's so vast and wide, it takes time to search it properly," Ontario Provincial Police Sgt. Dave Rektor told reporters at the crime scene Monday.
The area where the remains were found is located about 15 minutes north of where police were initially searching. Rektor said he's not sure who owns the property.
A detective who is part of the Stafford homicide investigative team was following up on a tip when he noticed landmarks familiar to what the suspect described and decided to take a closer look at the site. He found the remains soon after driving up a dirt side road.
<Continues>
http://toronto.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20090720/remains_found_09...
Tori's Aunt news interview
Tori's Aunt news interview she states the police told them last night that they came accross a site in the mount forest area that fit with things they had been provided, and similaritys with what they had been informed and the scene and that they had infact found human remains, this morning they were told it was confirmed those remails where those of a child :( :(
@HelpFindMyChild <<< twitter
HFMC Dedicated to helping families find their missing children
Remains have been found
A conf has confirmed that human remains have been found, but have not been confirmed if connected to Tori case as yet.
They had been looking over a wide area, this is probably about 10 to 15 mins away from where the most intense searches have been.
The remains have not yet been moved from the area, time scale is not known on identification.
@HelpFindMyChild <<< twitter
HFMC Dedicated to helping families find their missing children
Police find remains near Tori Stafford search site
Ontario Provincial Police investigators have found suspicious remains near Mount Forest, Ontario, northwest of Guelph, but it's too early to say whether they are those of wight-year-old Victoria Stafford.
OPP Sgt. David Recktor said investigators searching for the little girl found the remains Sunday on private property in a rural field.
Source
@HelpFindMyChild <<< twitter
HFMC Dedicated to helping families find their missing children
Remains of unidentified child found
http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/668836
Police find remains of yet-unidentified child. Rather far from abduction site. See map in link above.
mailing address for fund-raiser
To mail donations to Rodney's fund-raiser, send to:
TD CANADA TRUST
BRANCH 2934
155 CLARKE RD
LONDON, ON N5W 5C9
CANADA
Make check payable to "Rodney's Kilometres for Kids" and specify the account number on the check. All info from
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=125958323764
Account number
Oh, by the way, the account number is 5208420. (Yes, it's safe to post it here, as I found out from the folks running the Facebook site.)
Tori Stafford's family plans quiet birthday remembrance
Victoria Stafford was a fiery girl, a happy-go-lucky prankster and a remarkably fussy planner.
She pored over every detail of her eighth birthday party last year. Her dress, the cake, the games, the music – it all had to be perfect.
And minutes after her friends left the party, she solemnly started planning her next one, which should have been tomorrow.
"She wanted a bigger party (this year)," Daryn Stafford, her 11-year-old brother told the Star.
But instead of hosting a party for a bunch of giggly little girls, the family will spend a quiet day at home remembering Victoria, known as Tori.
The petite, light-haired girl from Woodstock, Ont., went missing on April 8. On May 20, Michael Rafferty, 28, and Terri-Lynne McClintic, 19, were arrested and charged with her abduction and murder.
No one knows where Tori's remains are.
<Continues>
http://www.thestar.com/news/ontario/article/665628
After three months police still searching for Tori
Three months have passed since Victoria "Tori" Stafford disappeared from a quiet city street, but police have not slowed in their search for her remains.
While family and friends continue to mourn the eight-year-old -- she would have turned nine next week -- the OPP's emergency response team continues to scour the woodlands and fields in the Fergus area. Despite the massive search area -- Wellington County is almost 2,700 square kilometres -- these officers are still intent on finding Tori, police spokesperson Const. Laurie-Anne Maitland said this week.
"We've certainly not scaled down the investigation,' Maitland said. "The investigation is still a top priority."
<Continues>
http://www.tillsonburgnews.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1650877
August Fund-Raiser on Bike
Tori Stafford's Dad plans 3453-km bike ride to raise funds for Child Find Ontario. At the end of the ride, he will release a beautiful purple balloon from a mountain site where Tori visited. See
http://www.woodstocksentinelreview.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1650807
Remembering Victoria Stafford
Today marks a grim anniversary-it has been three months since Tori Stafford vanished from her school in Woodstock.
The eight year old's remains have still not been found, but two people have been charged in connection with her abduction.
Her alleged abductors, Terry Lynn McClintic and Michael Thomas Rafferty face charges of first degree murder and kidnapping.
Tori would have turned nine next Wednesday.
http://www.570news.com/news/local/more.jsp?content=20090708_050605_6136
Event raises money for Child Find
A city event in memory of Victoria (Tori) Stafford raised about $2,400 for Child Find Ontario.
The fundraiser, held at the Brantford Air Force Club and organized by city residents Shelley Norton and Elaine McCabe, included bands, a barbecue and raffles.
Tori's father, Rodney Stafford, spent the day at the event as a willing dunk tank participant.
McCabe said an estimated 300 people attended, with dozens of children getting fingerprinted by city police officers using Child Find kits.
<Continues>
http://www.brantfordexpositor.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1643826
Fundraiser in memory of Tori Stafford
A fundraiser for Child Find Ontario in memory of Victoria (Tori) Stafford will be held on Saturday at the Brantford Air Force Club, 144 Grey St., starting at noon.
Admission for adults is $10. Children are admitted free when accompanied by an adult.
Activities include a dunk tank, barbecue, face painting and raffles of gift baskets from local merchants. A city police officer will be on hand with fingerprinting kits during the afternoon.
Outdoor events run from noon to 6 p. m. Local musicians and entertainers will perform outside from noon to 6 p. m. and inside from noon to 1 a. m.
Continues/...
http://www.brantfordexpositor.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1635010
Video - Tori Stafford murder charges
@HelpFindMyChild <<< twitter
HFMC Dedicated to helping families find their missing children
Ministry brings in help for Crown
Oxford's Crown attorney will now be working full time preparing the prosecution's case against the man accused of kidnapping and murdering Victoria "Tori" Stafford.
Crown attorney Brian Crockett and assistant Crown attorney Michael Carnegie have been "assigned full time to the Tori Stafford case," confirmed Brendan Crawley, a spokesperson for the Ministry of the Attorney General. Because of the preparation time needed in the case -- and the mountains of evidence from the ongoing police investigation -- the assignation of the two prosecutors is not unusual.
With the preliminary hearing not expected until early next year -- and Michael Rafferty's trial some time after that -- Brendan Evans, a senior assistant Crown attorney from the London office, has been temporarily assigned to Oxford as its acting Crown.
"A second (assistant) Crown attorney will be brought in to help with the regular workload," Crawley said.
Continues/...
http://tinyurl.com/l4tc6e
Accused in Stafford abduction, slaying appears in court
WOODSTOCK -- One of the two people accused in the abduction and killing of eight-year-old Victoria (Tori) Stafford appeared in court Tuesday.
Terri-Lynne McClintic, 19, appeared briefly via video link in a Woodstock, Ont., courtroom. Her case was put over until Aug. 12.
McClintic and Michael Thomas Rafferty, 28, face kidnapping and first-degree murder charges. They are to be tried separately.
Rafferty is due back in court July 17.
http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=1724458
Police vow to never give up the search for ‘Tori’
To the family of eight-year-old Tori Stafford, it's been a lifetime.
A lifetime since the parents of the Woodstock, Ont., girl last heard the third-grader giggle, held her hand, kissed her good night.
This past week marked two months since the little girl was seen alive.
(...)
Yet, despite extensive efforts by hundreds of police officers, volunteers and family, the young girl's body has not been found.
"We will continue the investigation for as long as it takes," said Const. Laurie-Anne Maitland of the Oxford Community Police, one of the lead police forces heading the search. "If it takes months, then so be it. We have thousands and thousands of tips and leads and we have to follow up on each and every one of them."
Const. Maitland said in "no way" have efforts to locate the eight-year-old girl's body slowed down.
Continues/...
http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=1690243
Trial for man accused of killing Tori may not start till 2010
WOODSTOCK, Ont. — The man accused of kidnapping and killing eight-year-old Victoria Stafford is getting a first look at the evidence against him.
Wearing a orange jump suit, Michael Rafferty, 28, appeared in a Woodstock, Ont., court Friday via videolink from the London-Middlesex Detention Centre.
After the brief process, his lawyer Hal Mattson said the Crown provided significant disclosure - some 300 gigabytes of electronic material.
Mattson asked that the case be put over until July 17 so his office has time to review the files.
(...)
Mattson said he doesn't expect the case to get rolling until early 2010, though he noted the wait is having an effect on his client.
Continues/...
http://tinyurl.com/lxvvyu
Rafferty "anxious to learn what the case is against him": lawyer
WOODSTOCK — The lawyer for the man accused of killing Victoria “Tori” Stafford said his client is “anxious to learn what the case is against him.”
Speaking to reporters Friday after Michael Rafferty’s brief video appearance from the Elgin-Middlesex Detention Centre, lawyer Hal Mattson said he would be reviewing the “significant” amount of evidence in the coming days and would then talk to his client.
During the brief morning appearance, Mattson told the court he expected a considerable amount of “additional disclosure” from the Crown that would need to be scrutinized before his client’s case could proceed.
“We can’t move the file forward until (we receive) all the disclosure,” Mattson said.
Continues/...
http://www.oxfordreview.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1610729
Police Finish Scouring Landfill For Evidence In Tori Stafford Ca
After months of combing through the rubbish in the Oxford County landfill, investigators assigned to the Victoria Stafford murder case have completed their search.
Police started looking in the garbage dump for clues and evidence soon after the eight-year-old Woodstock girl went missing in early April. They haven't revealed whether or not they've found anything of significance.
And although the search continues in rural areas of Wellington County, police have warned Victoria's parents that her remains may never be found.
http://www.citynews.ca/news/news_35280.aspx
Michael Rafferty, accused in Tori Stafford case, to make court a
WOODSTOCK — One of the people charged in the death of Victoria Stafford is due to make an appearance in a Woodstock court today.
Twenty-eight-year-old Michael Rafferty is to make an appearance via video link.
He and 19-year-old Terri-Lynne McClintic are charged with kidnapping and first-degree murder.
The appearance comes as authorities yesterday finished scouring the Oxford County landfill for clues and evidence in their search for Victoria’s body.
Continues/...
http://tinyurl.com/mmq3bu
Providing closure for the public
The parents of Victoria Stafford say they want Saturday's memorial to provide closure for the public.
But they also say they want their daughter's death to mean something.
"This happened right outside a public school. It continuously happens outside of public schools. It's got to stop," said Victoria's father Rodney Stafford.
"Hopefully it helps change things to do with the safety of children," he said.
"If you can't find your child, it needs to be released immediately," said Victoria's mother Tara McDonald said.
"I do believe a lesson will be learned by parents to hold their children tight," McDonald said.
McDonald said she would like to see the Amber alert system changed so it can be activated following an initial search of friends' homes.
Continues/...
http://tinyurl.com/krcsod
'No such thing as closure'
Rodney Stafford has worn through two pairs of running shoes since his eight-year-old daughter disappeared two months ago.
All the searches, vigils and balloon launches have added up to many kilometres of walking for Victoria "Tori" Stafford's parents. During the 42 days of uncertainty, Tori's mother Tara McDonald and Stafford held daily news conferences to keep their daughter's story in the media.
"It's not a common thing but it's a process that keeps parents knowing they are doing something rather than sitting around," said John Durant, executive director of Child Find Ontario.
(...)
Stafford said he will not have closure until Victoria's body is found. Otherwise, he still hopes for a miracle - finding his little girl alive.
Continues/...
http://tinyurl.com/mhtwqu
'We'll make the difference'
WOODSTOCK -- The weeping family of Victoria (Tori) Stafford said goodbye to their "spunky little princess" and "diva with attitude" at a memorial service Saturday.
"I miss seeing you every night," big brother Daryn, 11, said before breaking down and letting his mother finish his short but heartbreaking eulogy.
"She was my best friend in the entire world," her mother Tara McDonald told about 800 people gathered in the Calvary Church in this city of 40,000.
"I would give my own life if just to hear her sweet voice one more time," she said.
Tori's father, Rodney Stafford, promised his daughter her death would not be in vain -- that the world would be made safer for children.
"We will make the difference in the world for you."
Continues/...
http://tinyurl.com/lkl6wo
Tip line opens to aid search for Tori Stafford's remains
Hundreds of tips are pouring into the newly opened Victoria Stafford Tip Line just days after a memorial service was held for the 8-year-old who went missing in early April.
Oxford Community Police in conjunction with the Ontario Provincial Police are hoping that new tip line will help manage the massive amounts of public information received on the case, and inch them one step closer to finding Victoria's remains.
"The intensive search for the remains of Victoria Stafford continues on all fronts and we are encouraging the public to use this new tip line to call in information," said OPP Det. Insp. William Renton.
(...)
The Victoria Stafford Tip Line can be reached at 1-866-825-4222. It's staffed from 5 a.m. until midnight, after which callers are able to leave messages.
http://www.thestar.com/news/ontario/article/647060
Mourners gather for Victoria Stafford memorial
Victoria Stafford's 11-year-old brother broke down in tears at her memorial Saturday as he struggled to get through a moving tribute to his little sister, prompting hundreds of mourners gathered to remember the little girl to also cry.
Brave young Daryn wept partway through reading his speech about his beloved sister, his best friend, so his mother Tara McDonald took over and struggled herself to read the touching words her son had written.
An audible cry of despair went up from those gathered when she read the words that cut through to the depth of Daryn's pain.
“All I can do is think about you and think that I'm your brother, which means that I'm supposed to protect you, but I guess that I didn't,” Ms. McDonald read for her son, her own voice cracking. Daryn walked his sister home from school every day — except the fateful day she vanished.
“But still at the end of the day I still can't say goodnight. I waited all day every day just sitting, waiting for your safe return. I'll always love you and I'll remember to tell my kids about you.”
Continues/...
http://tinyurl.com/lcbth2
Grandmother urges thoughts on Tori, family
As a memorial for Victoria (Tori) Stafford nears, her grieving grandmother is reminding the public to keep their focus on the little girl.
Linda Winters, whose daughter Tara is Tori's mother, is urging people to set aside thoughts of the crime, those charged and the potential punishment to instead think of the eight-year-old Woodstock girl's short life.
"The family needs that support once again from the public," Winters said yesterday. "Quit the questions for a while. They'll be answered in time."
After a bad night's sleep marked by nightmares, a fatigued Winters discussed the shock still setting in to Tori's extended family, some of whom, like Winters herself, struggle to accept the little girl isn't alive.
Winters' 87-year-old dad, Frank Webb -- who had a close relationship with Tori, his great-granddaughter -- is showing signs of strain, such as the faltering of his normally razor-sharp memory.
Continues/...
http://tinyurl.com/lutv2b
Search stalls as jail visits continue
With investigators regularly visiting accused killer Michael Rafferty in jail, there are signs the eight-week search for Victoria (Tori) Stafford may be stalling.
One legal commentator, London defence lawyer Gord Cudmore, speculated police likely are looking for help in their search during the jailhouse visits, which have continued since Rafferty, 28, was charged with abducting and killing the Woodstock girl.
"The police have been (at his cell at the Elgin-Middlesex Detention Centre in London) numerous times," said Cudmore.
With police having warned Tori's family her remains may never be found, officers continued their search in the rain yesterday along Hwy. 401. They focused on the westerly lane's shoulder from Hwy. 59 -- Woodstock's main exit -- to Cambridge.
Continues/...
http://tinyurl.com/ns6zvz
Search for Victoria Stafford's remains enters day twelve
After spending the day searching for Victoria Stafford's body around Fergus, investigators may have new evidence in the case
Provincial police have been searching the roadways and ditches for several days, in the hopes of finding the remains of the missing 8 year old girl from Woodstock.
CTV reports officers have come across some "items of interest" while searching along Highway 6 near Fergus. There has been no further information released as to what those items are.
<Continues>
http://www.570news.com/more.jsp?content=20090531_053551_6164
Search resumes for Tori Stafford's remains
Police are into their 11th day of searching for Victoria Stafford's remains.
Search teams are conducting a ground search and scouring ditches, roadways and woodlots near Fergus, Ont.
On Friday, police expanded the search to include lakes and areas near Highway 401.
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http://www.thestar.com/news/ontario/article/643092