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
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
First court appearance for boy and girl charged in death of Halifax 16-year-old
A girl and a boy, both 14 years old, made their first appearance today in a Halifax courtroom, where they each face a second-degree murder charge in the stabbing death of a 16-year-old high school student.