Claire Bell said 'mom told me to wait' after Quebec toddler found at side of Ontario highway: report
Police officially aren't saying much about the case, as their focus moves from the public search into a criminal investigation stage, but published accounts say the girl made a staggering and perplexing statement to her rescuers.
I'm waiting for mom, she told me to wait for her
'I'm waiting for mom, she told me to wait for her,' Radio-Canada, CBC's French-language branch, reported Claire telling police who found her. 'Mom told me to wait,' the Journal de Montréal, a daily French-language newspaper reported the girl said.
Police officials would not confirm the conversations, saying there is already an ongoing prosecution in Quebec, after the girl's mother, Rachel-Ella Todd, 34, was arrested late Monday night and charged with child abandonment while Claire was still missing.
There also may now be a prosecution in Ontario, as the girl was allegedly abandoned about 50 kilometres into Ontario from the Quebec border.
Police credit information from the public for helping solve the girl's disappearance.
The strange way the girl was reported missing and distressing twists during the search galvanized public interest in the case. Police asked the public to help them track the movement of a grey 2007 Ford Escape, which helped investigators shift their attention into eastern Ontario.
The SUV was reported to have been seen in the St-Albert and Casselman area.
A drone operated by the Ontario Provincial Police spotted the girl around 2 p.m. on Wednesday in a field along an on-ramp for Highway 417 near the rural community of St. Albert, Ont., about 150 kilometres west of Montreal.
OPP officers following behind the drone then swooped in to rescue her.
Police said Claire was 'fine,' and described her as being conscious and able to talk. Photos from the scene show her looking stable and well, although a bit startled and unkempt. She was taken to hospital for a medical evaluation as a precaution.
'We were preparing for the worst, I think everyone was,' an Ontario police source said.
Officers were overjoyed when she was found. Officers were seen celebrating the outcome of their efforts.
'The last few days, officers and members of the community have held our breath and hoped while we searched,' OPP Acting Staff-Sgt. Shaun Cameron. 'Now we exhale as one, knowing she is safe.'
'This is why we are police,' said Sûreté du Québec Capt. Benoît Richard.
Cameron said police would not have found the girl in time without 'critical information' from the public. 'This was a search where we knew, especially given her age, that every hour mattered,' he said.
'This search proves that when a child goes missing, there are no interprovincial boundaries. There is only one goal: to find them.'
Claire's father, Matthew Bell, thanked the public and asked for privacy in a social media post.
Quebec Premier François Legault described the girl's safe return as 'almost a miracle,' and thanked police as well as members of the public who called in tips.
Todd appeared before a judge on Tuesday by video from a police station, represented by a legal-aid lawyer. She was back in court briefly on Wednesday when the case was put off until Friday for a potential bail hearing.
Claire was last seen Sunday morning, Father's Day, with her mother, at the apartment where Claire and Todd lived.
News that she was missing was revealed about six hours later when her mother pulled into a roadside fireworks and souvenir store about 55 kilometres west of their apartment. Police said she told an employee she had lost her child and didn't know where she was.
An enormous search began that shifted and grew from the Sunday missing child report through 72 hours.
Hot days with little or no access to water would have posed the greatest risk to the rescued Montreal toddler's survival, a search and rescue coordinator who participated in the search told the Montreal Gazette.
'Water, normally after about three days, becomes a significant concern,' said Dany Chaput, on-site coordinator for the Association of Quebec Volunteers for Search and Rescue. The three days Claire was missing 'were very hot. There was a lot of sun,' he said.
Around 120 volunteers under his direction spent three days combing areas near the Coteau-du-Lac exit where police had found the mother's car. Those volunteers 'drank enormous amounts of water and, despite that, had headaches, dizziness.' Claire wouldn't have had the same access to water, Chaput said. 'I don't think she necessarily had access to her primary needs.'
National Post with additional reporting by Montreal Gazette and The Canadian Press
• Email: ahumphreys@postmedia.com | Twitter: AD_Humphreys
Missing Quebec girl, 3, found safe after bizarre disappearance that led to charge against mother
Dehydration posed gravest danger to Claire Bell, search coordinator says
Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark nationalpost.com and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
What Canada can learn from Australia on adequately protecting citizens at live events
In April 2025, a man drove an SUV through a crowd of people attending a Filipino cultural festival in Vancouver, killing 11 people and injuring dozens more. In response, the British Columbia government immediately commissioned an inquiry to examine the systemic causes of the incident and whether any lessons could be learned from the tragedy. Read more: The commission came up with six recommendations based on gaps in the current municipal application and approval system for public events across the province. One key recommendation was that all public events should be required to complete a risk assessment. This isn't currently happening across the province. The absence of such analysis poses a risk for public safety. Another recommendation was the creation of local knowledge capacity to support event organizers, particularly for small and rural events, where the expertise to conduct a basic security risk assessment is lacking. Forseeable tragedy As I argued in August 2022, the live events industry lacks the same level of professionalism as other occupations. Many of these small event organizers are amateurs who lack the resources to properly deal with the security risks involved in holding their events. Read more: These factors, combined with emerging security risks, meant that the tragedy at the Lapu Lapu festival could be considered a foreseeable event given the risk realities associated with modern mass gatherings. The inquiry report highlighted how B.C. is lagging behind other international jurisdictions in terms of legislative pro-activeness in securing public events. This policy deficiency is actually a Canada-wide problem; the country is woefully behind other western nations when it comes to securing public events. My doctoral thesis examined this very issue when I compared the regulation and application process to host public events in Canada and Australia's largest cities. Australia vs. Canada Firstly, it's important to note that Canada is a less safe country in terms of security than Australia, all things considered equal. Canada's porous border with the United States means more illegal firearms are entering the country, resulting in more gun violence than in Australia, where there are more restrictive gun ownership laws. The Lapu Lapu attack was not investigated as an act of terrorism, but in a related concern, Canada's intelligence-gathering and national security laws place it at a counter-terrorism disadvantage compared to Australia. Relatively speaking, research suggests Canada's Charter of Rights and Freedoms hinders its security services from being able to detect and investigate terrorism-related offences given the greater importance placed on individual rights compared to Australia, where there is no such Charter equivalent. Australia also has pro-active foreign intelligence collection capabilities to aid in its counter-terrorism efforts, while Canada's CSIS agency only has domestic capabilities. That essentially requires it to import intelligence from its allies. Given these facts, it would seem plausible that Canada would be at greater risk for security threats at public events — including terrorist attacks, active shooters, etc. — than Australia. When I compared the data between both countries in my research, it suggested Australia has more public event regulation than Canada. It was quantitatively shown that Australian officials require risk assessments and other proactive measures from event organizers, including for risk mitigation, while Canadian officials are mostly concerned with reactive security response plans — in other words, determining how organizers would respond to attacks after they occurred. An analysis of event application documents in both countries reveal that Australian municipalities disproportionately emphasize 'risk management' in approving events compared to Canadian municipalities. Three ways the B.C. report falls short The B.C. report missed out on examining several important elements. Firstly, it did not take a holistic, deep dive into just how vulnerable public events are to myriad security threats — like active shooters, crowd crushing and terrorist attacks — but instead focused solely on the hostile vehicle threat. It also failed to consider the urgency of governments to adopt policy changes in the face of emerging threats on public spaces, like drone attacks. Secondly, the report made no mention of the need for law enforcement to develop stronger ties to share intelligence with event organizers as a proactive measure to protect mass gathering events from violence. The Hamas attacks at a music festival in Israel in October 2023 highlight the worst outcome of such failures. Read more: Lastly, there was no call for action or recommendation for the federal government to play a greater role in providing guidance to the industry and lower levels of government. National security is a federal issue as well as the regulation of airspace for drones. In countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia and the United States, the national government provides guidance on protecting public spaces. There is no such policy leadership in Canada. The B.C. findings show Canadian authorities have a lot of work to do to make public events safer for Canadians. With the FIFA World Cup coming to Canada next year, Canadian governments still have time to implement corrective actions to ensure soccer fans stay safe. This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit, independent news organisation bringing you facts and trustworthy analysis to help you make sense of our complex world. It was written by: Sean Spence, Royal Military College of Canada Read more: Calls to designate the Bishnoi gang a terrorist group shine a spotlight on Canada's security laws B.C.'s mental health law is on trial — and so is our commitment to human rights Vancouver SUV attack exposes crowd management falldowns and casts a pall on Canada's election Sean Spence provides security consulting services within the hospitality industry.
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Yahoo
Hockey Canada sex assault defence lawyers respond to verdict: 'Public narrative was one-sided'
Five former Canadian world junior hockey players were found not guilty in a high-profile sexual assault trial related to a 2018 incident in London, Ont. The case had sparked a national reckoning over hockey culture, and what is and what isn't considered consent. Here's how the lawyers for Michael McLeod, Carter Hart, Alex Formenton, Dillon Dube and Callan Foote reacted to Ontario Superior Court Justice Maria Carroccia's verdict, which was delivered in a London courtroom on Thursday. David Humphrey, lawyer for Michael McLeod Mr. McLeod will not be speaking to the media, and I understand the other players will not be speaking to the media. I will not be taking questions and other counsel who come to address you, they will not be taking any questions. Mr. McLeod had confidence in the Justice process, and he welcomes Justice Carrocia's decision, confirming that he and his co defendants are not guilty of sexual assault. Justice Carrocia's carefully reasoned decision represents a resounding vindication for Mr. McLeod and for his co defendants. Justice Carrocia's found that the complainant's testimony was incredible and was unreliable. For years, public perception was shaped by a one-sided narrative from a civil lawsuit that went unchallenged. In large part because hockey Canada settled the claim without first informing or consulting the players. The decision was made unilaterally, and the players were only told of the lawsuit and the settlement after the fact. Had they been consulted, they would have refused to settle, and they would have vigorously contested EM's allegations. That version of events dominated headlines and created a lasting and, a false, a false impression of guilt. It was only through this criminal trial that the allegations were fully and finally tested. The court compared the complainant's 2018 statements to the police, which rightly resulted in no charges with the later conflicting civil claim. Key elements of EM's story were contradicted by the evidence, exposing serious falsehood and leading to today's clear and just verdict of not guilty. Justice Carrocia rejected EM's claims of fear and her claims of non consent. That should be the takeaway from today's judgment. The damage to Mr. McLeod's reputation and his career has been significant. But today's decision begins to restore what was very unfairly taken away from him. Mr. McLeod is deeply grateful to his family, friends, his agent, and everybody who stood by him. Megan Savard, defence lawyer for Carter Hart It is both gratifying and unsurprising to hear an impartial and fully informed decision maker, except Mr. Hart's testimony about what happened on June 19, 2018, as unshaken, credible and truth. The public narrative of this event was, until this trial, one sided and untested. Now, the criminal process has shown it to be false. To anyone who is surprised or angered by today's outcome, it is the direct result of the media's ongoing failure to publicize the weaknesses in the prosecution's case as it unfolded. The office of the Crown attorney knew what today's verdict was likely to be. And the evidence at trial came as no surprise to them or anyone with full knowledge of the investigation. Almost every single feature of the evidence that Justice Carrocia identified today as fatal flaws for the Crown was known to prosecutors and to police from 2018. Today's outcome was not just predictable, it was predicted. The Crown attorney did not have to take this case to trial. Mr. Hart, in particular, was willing to engage in a restorative justice process. He was willing to be publicly named and prepared to use his public platform to teach other athletes about how to ensure that their sexual encounters are responsible and thoughtful. Instead of pursuing restorative justice, the Crown forced a distressing and unnecessary trial to the detriment of Mr. Hart, his co defendants, the complainant, and the Canadian public. Mr. Hart regrets that it took a criminal trial for the truth to come out, but he has learned from the experience, and he is committing to sharing what he has learned with others in his personal circle and in his professional life. He will be taking time today to process today's outcome, and is grateful to his family, his friends, and his supporters for standing by him during this profoundly challenging time. Thank you. Julianna Greenspan, lawyer for Cal Foote I promise I'm the last one. We are the last ones. Juliana Greenspan and this is Lauren Crawford, and we were counsel for Mr. Foote. Just have some brief comments that I want to say at this time. At the start of this trial, Cal Foote walked into this courthouse, an innocent man, and he walks out today exactly that. Cal never lost faith that justice would be done, despite the clamor of external pressures, and agendas, outside the courthouse doors. Criminal investigations and the trial process must always be free from these influences. On behalf of Cal and his family, we appreciate the court's careful and thorough consideration and for the just verdict delivered today. Seven years ago, Cal was 19. He is now 26. That is a significant part of a young man's life. He is still young. He has a wonderful future ahead of him, and he is eager to embark on his next chapter. Thank you. He's not answering any questions, but thank you. Daniel Brown, lawyer for Alex Formenton After what was meant to be a night of celebration with coaches and teammates. For the last seven years, he's lived under a dark cloud. The public now knows what Alex has always maintained, that he is completely innocent of this false allegation. But only after his case has erupted into a massively publicized social cause, Alex's face has appeared on millions of screens and newspaper pages, and there could be little doubt that an untold number of people out there believed he was guilty, simply because he was accused of a crime, long before any evidence was presented in court. This rush to judgment to believe the worst of people is one of the most regrettable of human traits. So, too, is our reluctance to change that opinion, even when it's proven wrong, after a full and fair trial. Notwithstanding Justice Carrocia's unequivocal exoneration of Alex today, there will inevitably be those who will still believe he committed a crime. Nobody in Room 209 that night has emerged unscarred from these events. The criminal court process is a bruising experience for everyone, but never more than when a case is high profile incorporates such high stakes. In Alex's case, he was condemned and felt banished from society. This experience for him has been crushing. Nonetheless, the impact of this case has changed Alex as a person, and he's matured well beyond his years. It is inevitable that some people will not forgive Alex for what he was accused of doing. Others, however, will understand that this tragic matter, rightly comes to an end today. Alex has never minimized his role in the sexual encounter or denied engaging in consensual sexual activity with the complainants. He fully cooperated with the police investigation and provided investigators with a complete account of his behaviour back in 2018. Alex's narrative isn't conjecture. His police statement was corroborated at trial by several crown witnesses, by video evidence, and was even supported in large measure by the complainant's evidence herself. Even Justice Carrocia said today that she accepted that Alex told the truth in that police statement. And while no police investigation is perfect, the London police got it right seven years ago when they decided it would be a mistake to charge Alex. The evidence always demonstrated that he didn't commit sexual assaults. However, political and media pressure brought this allegation back into the spotlight in 2022, and the Crown attorney knowingly forged ahead with a hopeless prosecution. Besides the human toll of everyone involved, this lengthy legal process exhausted valuable resources that could have been deployed elsewhere in the justice system, but were lost here. Alex, his family, and his defense team are grateful to Justice Carrocia for our careful consideration of all the evidence that was presented to this trial. She's reached a just and correct verdict that must be respected. Nobody disputes that sexual assault is a terrible societal plague, and Alex sincerely hopes that this prosecution doesn't stop the quest to combat sexual violence and to bring genuine offenders to justice. However, an accusation is just that, an accusation. This case stands to the fact that we must never lose sight of the fundamental right to be presumed innocent. Now, more than ever before, a fair response to sexual assault claims requires a balanced perspective and public trust and the decision making of the courts. Anything less, only harms the justice system and the cause of eliminating sexual violence. Thank you. Julie Santarossa, lawyer for Dillon Dubé For Mr. Dubé, this has been a long and difficult process. He is relieved by the outcome, and he is grateful that Justice Carrocia decided what she did and did so fairly and efficiently. Throughout this trial, Mr. Dube was impressed by the fairness and impartiality demonstrated by her honor. This decision comes as a result of careful deliberation by her honor. She engaged with the evidence in a thoughtful, methodical, and principled manner. Her reasons reflect not only a command of the legal principles at stake, but also a deep sense of responsibility in assessing the evidence, applying the law, and demonstrating a strong commitment to justice. Mr. Dubé has always maintained his innocence. He is thankful for all of the unwavering support from his friends and family who have also believed in him. For all of you that have been by his side throughout this period of time, you know who you are, we thank you. Mr. Dubé is hopeful that everyone can move forward from this in a positive manner. He is requesting privacy during this period of time. In view of the court's decision, Mr. Dubé will not be making any further statements at this time. Thank you. Read the full statement from the complainant's lawyer Gasps in court as all five players acquitted in Hockey Canada sexual assault trial Hockey Canada sex assault complainant 'very disappointed' with judge's assessment of her honesty, lawyer says Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here.
Associated Press
16 hours ago
- Associated Press
Police officer shot in the face while investigating a killing in suburban New York
NORTH BAY SHORE, N.Y. (AP) — A police officer was shot in the face while attempting to search a home as part of an investigation into a recent killing in suburban New York, authorities said Thursday. They said the officer was expected to recover, and the suspect ultimately surrendered. The chain of events began Wednesday afternoon, when the body of a 66-year-old man was found in the woods in North Bay Shore, on Long Island. An investigation, including security camera footage, led investigators to want to question a former co-worker of the deceased, Suffolk County Police Commissioner Kevin Catalina said at a news conference. He said the two apparently were mechanics and had had conflicts in the past. Police obtained a search warrant and went to the 48-year-old man's home, where he fired on officers through an open door, the commissioner said. He said one officer, a 33-year-old former Navy medic with two years on the force, was shot in the face. The impact fractured one of his cheekbones and the bullet lodged near an ear, coming a half-inch (1 cm) from one of his eyes, said surgeon Dr. James Vosswinkel of Stony Brook University Medical Center. He said the officer was spared nerve damage and was on course for a full recovery. The officer underwent surgery to remove the bullet and was recuperating later Thursday morning. 'He's in a lot of pain,' the police commissioner said, but 'he's happy to be alive.' He said no officers fired. Instead, they surrounded the home and summoned hostage negotiators. The suspect surrendered around 6 a.m. Thursday, according to the commissioner. Police haven't yet released the officer's or suspect's name. Charges against the suspect are expected but haven't been announced.
