Girl found in water in Dunnville, Ont. under two-and-a-half-years-old: OPP
Provincial police have provided new information about the age of a young girl whose body was found in the water in Dunnville, Ont. earlier this week.
She is now believed to have been between ten-and-a-half months and two-and-a-half-years-old at the time of her death, OPP said Friday.
Studies are being done to determine the length of time she was in the water. A post-mortem was conducted Thursday and additional testing has been scheduled, police said.
As the investigation continues, police issued a specific request Friday.
Investigators are asking anyone who may know of a family with a little girl who may have left town suddenly or moved away under circumstances now considered suspicious to contact them.
The girl's body was discovered by people fishing in the Grand River on Tuesday and emergency responders arrived around 1:22 p.m.
"It's tragic, and it's disturbing," said Detective Inspector Shawn Glassford with the OPP on Wednesday. "Somebody out there is missing this child. Somebody is wondering what happened to this child and we want to hear from those people."
An OPP boat searches the Grand River in Dunnville, Ont. after the remains of a young girl were found. (May 18, 2022)
"I just can't imagine that someone would do that to a baby... a baby," said Chris Aldridge, who lives in Dunnville.
"It's very, very sad," said another resident, Kathy Gilbert. "I can't believe it. Something like this would happen in this town. It's just a sad day."
Police said they are looking into missing person reports from across Canada and the United States as part of their efforts to identify the girl.
Authorities have also set up a special tip line for anyone who may have information that can help in their investigation.
Residents are asked to call 1-844-677-9403, or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
"We're hopeful that members of the public will assist us," said Glassford. "I think this is one of those cases that we're really going to depend on the public to help us identify this child and determine what happened and how this child ended up in the river and the circumstances surrounding that."
A helicopter flies over the Grand River in Dunnville, Ont. (May 18, 2022)
The community of Dunnville is located near the mouth of the Grand River in Haldimand County. There are a number of boat launches along the waterfront and wind turbines lining the shore.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
The Canadian border is an 'extreme vulnerability,' says Trump's pick; Miller predicts 'tough' talks
Immigration Minister Marc Miller says he agrees with the incoming American border czar that there will be 'tough conversations' ahead.
Trump makes a victor's return to Washington and pledges a 'smooth' transition of power from Biden
Donald Trump made a victor's return to Washington on Wednesday, visiting the White House for a nearly two-hour meeting with President Joe Biden and committing to a straightforward transition of power as the president-elect moves quickly to build out his new administration.
'You couldn't open the door': Concerns over awareness of and access to Tesla emergency latch after 4 killed in Toronto, 5 killed in Wisconsin
When a Tesla crashed on Lakeshore Boulevard in Toronto last month, the first people on scene knew there were occupants inside but couldn't immediately get them out.
Overwhelmed families surrendering custody of their children to CAS
Overwhelmed families in Ontario are having to surrender their children to the Children's Aid Society, and according to the society, the residential crisis is part of the problem.
BREAKING Republicans will retain House majority, CNN projects, completing GOP’s dominance of Washington
Republicans have secured their monopoly on power in Donald Trump’s new Washington, retaining their majority in the House of Representatives, CNN projected Wednesday, after picking up seats in California and Arizona and ushering in a dramatic new era of right-wing populist rule.
Guns and drugs seized from organized crime group linked to Mexican cartel, RCMP say
Members of the RCMP’s federal police say they have arrested three men in B.C. for their alleged role in a 'transnational organized crime group' connected to Mexican drug cartels importing cocaine into Canada.
Mississauga, Ont. upholds ban on street sports, including hockey and basketball
Mississauga city council has voted to keep its residential street sports ban in place, meaning hockey and basketball on the road will remain out of bounds.
This Canadian airline will adopt Apple's new AirTag feature to help recover lost baggage. Here's how
Apple announced that a new feature, 'Share Item Location,' will help users locate and recover misplaced items by sharing an AirTag location with third parties including airlines.
Guardian quits X social media platform, citing racism and conspiracy theories
British news publisher the Guardian said on Wednesday it will no longer post to X, citing 'disturbing content' on the social media platform, including racism and conspiracy theories.