Residents of a small eastern Ontario community pressed provincial police for answers Saturday during a tense town hall, weeks after a missing eight-year-old girl was found seriously injured and a teen was charged in the case.
Nearly 100 people crowded into the community centre in Quadeville, about 170 kilometres west of Ottawa, for the meeting organized by the Ontario Provincial Police.
Early in the investigation, police said they believed the girl had been attacked by an animal. But that theory changed when a 17-year-old boy was charged two weeks later with attempted murder and sexual assault.
Residents questioned why police initially suggested an animal attack, and what led to the shift in direction.
OPP Supt. Derek Needham told attendees that police never ruled out other possibilities and were acting on information provided by medical and pathology experts. He said investigators worked to keep the community informed as the case evolved.
“This is a very traumatic time for this community because everyone knows everyone involved,” Needham said during the meeting, which at times grew emotional.
The packed room grew stifling as the evening wore on, especially after a noisy air conditioner was turned off. Among the questions, a man identifying himself as a relative of the victim asked why it took police so long to respond after the girl was reported missing on June 23.
Police did not provide new details, citing the ongoing court case.
(Written By : Richard Evans)