Latest news with #BillDickson
India Today
4 days ago
- India Today
Ontario town in shock after teen charged in attack on 8-year-old girl
A rural community in Canada's southern Ontario is in shock after police revealed that the brutal assault of an eight-year-old girl, originally thought to be an animal attack, was allegedly carried out by a 17-year-old boy now charged with attempted murder and sexual assault with a incident took place in Quadeville, a small town of just a few hundred people. The girl was reported missing on June 23 after last being seen around 6 pm near a local grocery store. She was discovered with severe injuries in a wooded area around 12:30 am the following morning and was rushed to a children's hospital in Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) told the community to keep their children indoors, warning of a potential animal threat. However, on June 25, authorities said they believed the injuries were from an animal attack but needed further investigation. Last week, that narrative shifted dramatically. Police arrested a 17-year-old boy, who cannot be named under Canada's Youth Criminal Justice Act, and charged him with attempted murder and sexual assault with a spokesperson Bill Dickson said the nature of the injuries initially led officers to suspect an animal, but investigators had also been exploring other possibilities from the start. 'You can't go into an investigation like this with tunnel vision,' he said, declining to provide specifics due to the ongoing court suspect and the victim's families are known to each other, further unsettling the close-knit community. Residents have raised concerns about the police response, including why the search for the missing girl didn't begin until 9 pm the day she disappeared. During a town hall on 12 July, acting OPP Chief Superintendent Derek Needham said specialized resources took time to arrive, but one parent responded: 'That's not good enough.'The local Pentecostal church has launched a fundraiser to support the victim's family. Pastor Joseph Fiorentino said the young girl is showing signs of recovery, though her healing journey will be long.- EndsMust Watch
The Guardian
4 days ago
- The Guardian
Small Canadian town reels after teen boy allegedly assaults eight-year-old girl
A small rural community in Canada is reeling after police said the horrific attack of an eight-year-old girl was not caused by an animal, as they had suspected, but allegedly by a teenage boy who they have now charged with attempted murder. The residents of Quadeville, a town of a few hundred people in southern Ontario, are questioning local law enforcement's handling of the case after officials initially told them to keep their children indoors to protect them against a possible offending animal. The girl was first reported missing on 23 June, with the Ontario provincial police (OPP) saying she was last seen around 6pm at a local grocery store wearing a T-shirt and shorts. She was found with serious injuries later that night, around 12.30am, in a clearing in a wooded area of the community, and taken to a children's hospital in nearby Ottawa. On 25 June, police investigators announced that they suspected she had been hurt in an animal attack but that further testing was needed. Last week they said they had, in fact, arrested and charged a 17-year-old boy with sexual assault with a weapon and attempted murder. As a minor he cannot be named under the Youth Criminal Justice Act. The OPP's Bill Dickson said officers at first believed the girl was attacked by an animal due to the nature of her injuries, but that he could not comment on them in detail. 'While we proceeded looking at this as a suspected animal attack, the investigation also continued to look at other aspects,' Dickson said. 'You can't go into an investigation like this with tunnel vision.' He added that police could not comment on what led them to arrest the teenager, as the case is before the courts. The allegations have rocked the one-intersection community, whose close-knit nature is illustrated by the fact that the victim's family and the suspect's family know each other, Dickson said. After the attack, police held a town hall on 12 July to address swirling questions, including why it took them until 9pm on the day the girl went missing to begin searching. 'It does take time to get some of the specialized services here,' Derek Needham, acting chief superintendent with the OPP, told residents, according to the CBC, though a resident responded: 'As a parent, that's not good enough … you guys should be there when the call is put out.' The local Pentecostal church has led a fundraiser for the family, with the pastor, Joseph Fiorentino, stating that the girl 'is showing signs of improvement', adding: 'Her recovery is hopeful, but the road will be long.'
CTV News
12-07-2025
- CTV News
OPP to hold town hall for Quadeville, Ont. residents after attack on young girl
Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) will be holding a town hall Saturday afternoon in Quadeville, Ont. to 'address questions and concerns' from residents about the attack of an eight-year-old girl initially believed to be caused by an animal. The town hall is being held at the Quadeville Community Centre at 965 Addington Rd. at 5 p.m. Police say they are hoping to offer clarity and transparency for residents as an investigation into the case continues. 'We want to hear their concerns. We want to explain to them why we did what we did, to the level that we can. We know that this has been a horrible experience for the entire community, not just for this young girl and her family but for everyone there. It's a tight-knit community,' OPP spokesperson Bill Dickson told Newstalk 580 CFRA's Ottawa at Work with Patricia Boal on Thursday. On Wednesday, OPP arrested a 17-year-old boy and charged him with attempted murder and sexual assault with a weapon on a person under 16 years old. A young girl was reported missing on Monday, June 23 in Quadeville, approximately 160 kilometres west of Ottawa. The OPP Canine Unit located the girl just before 12:30 a.m. June 24 with life-threatening injuries along Quadeville Road. Police said investigators suspected the girl was injured in an animal attack, but added, 'further testing and analysis is required.' On Wednesday, police said that samples taken from the victim's wounds 'revealed no traces of animal DNA.' Officials had asked residents to keep children indoors or under close supervision as police worked to determine the cause of her injuries. The girl remains in hospital. With files from CTV News Ottawa's Josh Pringle This story will be updated
Winnipeg Free Press
11-07-2025
- Winnipeg Free Press
What's known about the attack on eight-year-old girl in Quadeville, Ont.
Residents of a small eastern Ontario community will be seeking answers at a police town hall on Saturday about a disturbing attack on an eight-year-old girl that investigators initially linked to an animal, prompting fear and confusion. The gathering is expected to offer an opportunity for people in Quadeville, about 170 kilometres west of Ottawa, to express their concerns and hear from Ontario Provincial Police about the attack that shook the community. Police have arrested a 17-year-old boy in the case who has been charged with attempted murder and sexual assault with a weapon. While the investigation is still underway, police are planning to give as much information as possible to locals 'to ensure they know how serious we are about ensuring that we brought this to a conclusion,' OPP spokesperson Bill Dickson said. Here's what we know about the case so far. HOW THE POLICE INVESTIGATION UNFOLDED OPP officers from the emergency response team and canine units responded to a call for a missing child in Quadeville shortly after 9 p.m. on June 23. After a few hours of searching, the canine unit found the girl with life-threatening injuries along Quadeville Road shortly after midnight on June 24. The child was brought to a local hospital and later taken to a regional trauma centre where she remains. On June 25, the OPP said in a press release that a child had been injured in an 'incident' that investigators believed to be an animal attack, adding that 'further testing and analysis' was required. The girl's wounds were 'consistent with an animal attack,' and the theory was supported by 'multiple medical and pathology experts,' Dickson said. Investigators said they were working with the Ministry of Natural Resources and advised parents in the area to keep their small children indoors or under close supervision as a precaution. On July 4, just a little over a week after the girl was found, the OPP said they were seeking a potential witness who was in the Quadeville area before the attack. Police described this witness as a man in his 60s who may have information that could help police. It's unclear whether the witness was ever identified or had any role in the investigation. Investigators once again told parents to 'remain vigilant' by keeping their children under close supervision while outside, adding that animal traps had been set out in the area as a 'precautionary measure.' TEEN ARRESTED, CHARGES LAID As the investigation continued, police discovered that there were no traces of animal DNA from the victim's wounds, Dickson said. 'Even though we did suspect it was an animal attack, we kept going because you can't have tunnel vision,' Dickson said, adding that investigators didn't rule out the possibility of human involvement. On Tuesday, exactly two weeks after the child was found, the OPP arrested and charged a 17-year-old boy from eastern Ontario in connection with the alleged attack. Because the suspect is a minor, he cannot be named under the Youth Criminal Justice Act. Police said he appeared in court on Wednesday. COMMUNITY REACTION The tight-knit community was shaken by the news of the teenager's arrest, although some residents said they doubted the animal attack theory from the start. 'We are from a rural town, we know what teeth marks would look like,' said Christine Hudder, who lives about four kilometres away and who helped her sons organize a lemonade stand that raised $400 for the girl last week. Hudder said she hopes police will provide more clarity on Saturday about why they initially suspected an animal attack and why families were told to keep their children indoors. Currently on hiatus A review of funny, uplifting news in Winnipeg and around the globe. In a community where everybody knows everybody, Hudder said she was taken aback by initial reports of the missing child. 'That never happens in Quadeville,' she said. Wanda Resmer, secretary of the local community centre, said it will take time for the fear to dissipate and for the community to heal. 'People are never going to forget it. Probably every day of our life, it'll be in our minds,' she said. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 11, 2025.
CTV News
10-07-2025
- CTV News
OPP explains why investigators initially suspected an animal attack in Quadeville, Ont.
Ontario Provincial Police charged a 17-year-old with attempted murder in connection to an attack that injured a girl in eastern Ontario. CTV's Stefan Keyes repo Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) say investigators never ruled out human involvement in an attack on a child in Quadeville, Ont., despite police initially saying evidence suggested it was a possible animal attack. A 17-year-old male was charged Tuesday night with attempted murder and sexual assault with a weapon on a person under 16 years old. An eight-year-old girl was reported missing on Monday, June 23 in Quadeville, approximately 75 kilometres southwest of Renfrew. The OPP Canine Unit located the girl just before 12:30 a.m. Tuesday, June 24 with life-threatening injuries along Quadeville Road. Police presence in Quadeville, Ont. A heightened police presence in Quadeville, Ont. on Wednesday, July 9, 2025 as they investigate the attempted murder and sexual assault of a young girl. (Dylan Dyson/CTV News Ottawa) On June 25, police said investigators suspected the girl was injured in an animal attack, but added, 'further testing and analysis is required.' 'When the attack happened, we honestly did not know what the cause was,' OPP spokesperson Bill Dickson said Wednesday morning. 'It was a tough balancing act to say, we don't want to cause undue panic, but we also don't want to underplay this and potentially, if it is an animal, have some other child suffer a similar fate.' Dickson told Newstalk 580 CFRA's Ottawa at Work with Patricia Boal the girl's injuries were very serious. 'We brought in the experts who looked at these injuries and many of them too thought that the nature of these injuries looked like they would have been consistent with something caused by some type of wild animal,' Dickson said Thursday morning. 'While we went with that premise and we were following that line of thought, we also kept the investigation going on other fronts because, of course, you can't get tunnel vision on an investigation where someone has been seriously hurt.' Dickson said police also continued to investigate the possibility the injuries were caused by a person. 'While we did say we suspected it to be an animal attack, we kept following any other avenues that we could and that resulted this week in the arrest and charges against this 17-year-old,' Dickson said. 'The investigators formed those grounds to lay the charges on Tuesday of this week. It was a fairly recent development and we're happy to put some sort of closure to this.' Quadeville The sign for Quadeville, Ont. where police tape has been set up. (Shaun Vardon/CTV News Ottawa) In a media release Wednesday evening, the OPP said samples taken from the victim's wounds 'revealed no traces of animal DNA.' Ontario Provincial Police are planning to hold a townhall meeting in Quadeville on Saturday to 'address questions and concerns from local residents.' Dickson says police expect people to have questions about why investigators suspected it was an animal attack and why they were asked to keep children indoors. 'We know there's been so much concern and people may not have understood why we took the steps we were taking, why we were saying it was suspected to be an animal attack and then, in the end, we are laying charges against a human being,' Dickson said. 'We want to hear their concerns. We want to explain to them why we did what we did, to the level that we can. We know that this has been a horrible experience for the entire community, not just for this young girl and her family but for everyone there. It's a tight-knit community.' LISTEN: OPP Spokesperson Bill Dickson with further details on the ongoing investigation Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact the Upper Ottawa Valley OPP at 1-888-310-1122. Quadeville is located 160 km west of Ottawa.
