8 Year Old Victoria “Tori” Stafford Missing Since 4/8/09 in Ontario, Canada

[canadianmonkey]

This is the problem with a presser everyday.  I'm feeling incredibly sorry for them.

http://www.canada.com/news/Parents+missing+girl+argue+publicly/1600836/story.html

Parents of missing Ont. girl argue publicly
 
 
By Jordana HuberMay 15, 2009 3:01 PMComments (2)
  StoryPhotos ( 1 )

  Tara McDonald and Rodney Stafford, parents of missing eight-year-old Victoria Stafford. Minutes into the media conference, Rodney Stafford accused his ex-wife of showing a lack of emotion, while she countered he was able to cry before the cameras because he feels guilty for being an absentee father.Photograph by: Jordana Huber, Canwest News ServiceTension between the parents of missing eight-year-old Victoria Stafford boiled over Friday with the pair lashing out at each other during their daily news briefing in front of the mother's home in Woodstock, Ont.


Minutes into the media conference, Rodney Stafford accused his ex-wife of showing a lack of emotion, while she countered he was able to cry before the cameras because he feels guilty for being an absentee father.


The spat began when Tara McDonald started to explain that she wasn't the type of person who cried in public to which Stafford, her ex-husband for seven years, responded she was showing a "total lack of support" for her daughter, now missing more than five weeks.


"This is your daughter," Stafford said. "It doesn't matter who should be standing in front of you. I could have the world standing here and I would cry. I wouldn't care, Tori is missing."


McDonald responded: "You want to talk about a lack of support for my daughter? Where the hell were you for the last nine years."


She said she is frustrated that her ex-husband has been portrayed as "super dad."


"It just drives me crazy that every single day he comes out here and he cries and he carries on. It's because of guilt from not being there," McDonald said.


Tori has not been seen since April 8 while walking home from school. Video surveillance cameras caught her on school property with a woman in her 20s with a ponytail, wearing a white jacket.

© Copyright (c) Canwest News Service

[Lovinlife]

For the love of Pete bury the hatchet!  Focus on finding Tori!!!!!!!!!!!

(the parents, not you canadianmonkey)

[cookie]

I don't feel you are looking at anyone but the mom, that is what gets me. Who else do you have on your radar? Anyone? Because the person who took Tori is not the same person in that video. They are 2 different people. Tori is missing and all I read is she is wearing a white coat, she is not crying enough, she is not picking up the puppy, she had a press conference, she missed a press conference, she went to a bar, she, she, she....She most likely didn't do this and there needs to be focus elsewhere. Do you rule out the mom? No, no one including the dad is ruled out, you have to look elsewhere as well.
Such as, there has been suggestions posted on what else could have happened, but it is being ignored and the mom is the focus. You know when Sandra was missing from may area for gosh sakes I followed a psychic lead! No stone is left unturned, so far I only see one stone from you and others on facebook. Mean while, the little girl is missing and wants and needs to come home. I wish I could find out who is at that nursing home, names of people that work there, names of volunteers at the school....

Canadian Monkey, thank you for response and the explanation.
I don't think the look like the mom, it looks like her friend though, I thought. IMHO that doesn't mean the mom is involved.

Please don't make the assumption that I am only looking at Tara as a suspect. Om my radar is her best friend Sara, her boyfriend, and her step-brother. Maybe not directly involved but I suspect know something.
I have not ever looked at this abduction from a single dimension. It is your comments concerning Tara that have prompted me to give feedback of her in return.

You still have not answered my question...have you watched any of the pressers over the last 5 weeks?

From day one of the sketch being released, to me it only looks like Sara.

And for what it's worth...I'm not a poster on Facebook.

Yes I have watched the pressers via the net. I do not get the feeling the mom did it or from what I can gather, the evidence does not point to her. What is her motive? Money? How does she get the money?  It doesn't connect in my opinion, who knows though and because "who knows" every angle needs to be explored such as the nursing home, the school, any outside activities etc....

The person in the video is not her because it is the wrong dimensions. She is smaller then the mom, you can see that. But doesn't it strike you funny that the person is meant to look like her? It does to me. Deenie made good points in her posts, it seems as though the person is convincing Tori to go with her or reminding her of who she is. I see that through body language. If it was her mother or someone Tori sees everyday or a relative she knows and loves I think there would be a different reaction, This is a strange reaction, in my opinion.

Cookie I agree with you, everyone needs to be looked at, but not at the exclusion of others, in my opinion. Wouldn't you agree, most times then not, a parent is not involved? If the evidence pointed to her then that is one thing, but the reasons people are gossiping about her have little to do with anything.

Now on to this missing little girl and where could she be! In Canada, do they do back round checks on volunteers at a school? One thing that Tara said is, "why didn't anyone notice Tori go off with a stranger and why did the school not do anything about it? Maybe it was not a stranger to the school? Didn't tori and her brother walk home together most days? Where did they meet up? Why was he not there? Did someone hold him up or distract him? There doesn't seem to be a lot of kids around, only Tori and the other student, what time was this at? Is this exit one few people take? Is it her usual way of leaving the school? 

I am done debating the mom for now. If you wish to talk of evidence or leads then I will engage, but in my opinion, this is doing nothing to bring Tori home to her family. I would appreciate it however if someone from Canada can help me to understand some of the rules regarding school policy. Information in Canada is very difficult to get. Is it right you all don't have a sex offender registry?

I do agree...most times a parent isn't involved...although, you always want to look at the person closest to the missing or murdered  person per Mike Brooks who is on HLN right now...

I don't think that this mother had anything to do with Tori's disappearance....my only point was that everyone needs to be looked at...was just adding my 2cents....I have no opinion or no clue who might or might not be involved although it appears that this woman who Tori was with,  was no stranger to Tori...or at least she knew enough to try to convince Tori to leave with her...

You brought up a lot of good questions/points in your above post as well...keep on digging up clues girl!
xxxxx

[cookie]

http://www.canada.com/news/Parents+missing+girl+argue+publicly/1600836/story.html

Please tell me that this didn't really happen....

[Tracygirl]

For the love of Pete bury the hatchet!  Focus on finding Tori!!!!!!!!!!!

(the parents, not you canadianmonkey)

Oh god my ex husband and I would be giving a show too! I often wonder how the parents who are divorced hold up to being thrusted together again. Sounds like there is a lot of water under the bridge....He should not have said what he did to her about not crying, and she should have bashed him as a father. Both were hitting below the belt. They need to either get a spokes person or stop with the press conferences, they are not helping, imho

Has anyone looked into the father and his connections? I think he took a lie detector, right? Leave no stone unturned, that is what I have been told numerous times.....

[Deenie]

Canadian Monkey
I have questions if you can answer

I have tried to look up as much info as I am able on Tori
What do you know about the " Limo Ride" that supposedly happened with Tori's Mom.

What I don't understand is the Montell Williams Show ?? It has not been in broadcast in over a year .. And then the psychic being a part of his show or even being Sylvia Brown that was the person to " meet" in Toronto.

I found that Ms Brown was in Toronto recently.
http://toronto2009.icandoit.net/speakers/speaker_info.php?author_id=192

And I found this Blog too - of people asking Her for help to Find Tori

http://mediumchannel.com/index.php/20090201409/Psychic-Blog/Sylvia-Brown-gives-away-free-psychic-reading-on-her-web-class.html

I have always thought that Sylvia is BUNK .. she to me is a just like the character on Disney Little Mermaid ..



Just wondering if you have heard anything more about this Mysterious Trip in the Limo?

I have talked to Rodney on Facebook briefly. He does respond to you if you mail him.
So if you have any questions to ask you can ask him. Not the Tori site but His personal facebook. I wrote to a mag site in Canada that is for Snowboarders/Ski about the Woman's White coat .. never received a reply. Hmmph.

Praying for Tori's Safe Return 

[victorian]

There are numerous articles about the mysterious limo ride if you google it adding Tara's name.

Montel Williams was only brought up when someone asked Tara who Sylvia Brown was. So she responded that it was a famous psychic who was on the Montel Show.
The name Sylvia Brown only cam up as Tara 'thought' that's who she would be meeting.
They drove to the airport hotel then Tara went upstairs alone for two hours with the 'benefactor', who had a baggie of her own daughter's hair. Her daughter was abducted and found dead. Oddly the hair was the same colour as Tori's. 

The whole story is bizarre as apparently the limo driver snuck through people's back yards to get to Tara's back door. 

[victorian]

http://www.lfpress.ca/perl-bin/publish.cgi?x=articles&p=263745&s=missing

Also I think there were two separate pressers where Tara said Sylvia had called, but she can't called her back. When she was asked again if she'd talked to her, she still hadn't called her back. So I guess it wasn't worth following up.

[Tracygirl]

Prayers for Tori,
Please god allow LE and searchers to find Tori and bring her home  to her family, where she belongs. Please send your heavenly angels to protect Tori, give Tori  strength and courage until we find her.

[cookie]

Prayers for Tori,
Please god allow LE and searchers to find Tori and bring her home  to her family, where she belongs. Please send your heavenly angels to protect Tori, give Tori  strength and courage until we find her.

second this.....
miracles do happen as we have witnessed in this last week...

[Edward]

Prayers for Tori,
Please god allow LE and searchers to find Tori and bring her home  to her family, where she belongs. Please send your heavenly angels to protect Tori, give Tori  strength and courage until we find her.

second this.....
miracles do happen as we have witnessed in this last week...

3rd this..
We have seen miracles in this last week, dear lord please let the miracles continue..Bring Tori home.

[Lovinlife]

Searching for some news today and found this, not sure if it was posted or not...

http://toricomehome.com/index.html

[Lovinlife]

From the London Free Press:

 

IN TUESDAY'S PAPER:
Who are Tara McDonald and Rodney Stafford? Check out our feature profiles of missing Woodstock girl Tori Stafford's mom and dad, online and in print 
 
I guess they're going to have something tomorrow (5/19/09)

[can]

From the London Free Press:

 

IN TUESDAY'S PAPER:
Who are Tara McDonald and Rodney Stafford? Check out our feature profiles of missing Woodstock girl Tori Stafford's mom and dad, online and in print 
 
I guess they're going to have something tomorrow (5/19/09)

Thanks lovin. 
We didn't get newspaper delivery today.  It's a holiday. 
Will check tomorrow.
Very little news it seems.
Where could that poor little girl be - hope she is found soon.

[Lovinlife]

http://www.woodstocksentinelreview.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1573694

Private investigator joins in Stafford search
Posted 28 mins ago
 

WOODSTOCK — A private investigator has joined in the search for missing eight-year-old Victoria "Tori" Stafford.

Tara McDonald and Rodney Stafford revealed today that a private investigator is now on the case.

The privateinvestigator has offered McDonald and Stafford a lot of insight and has been on the case for about a week.

McDonald says she is considering decreasing her daily press conferences to weekly to allow her more time to go out and search for Tori.

This week, McDonald says, she and friends will be out distributing posters at trucks stops, the US/Canada borders and small towns, covering as much ground as possible.

Stafford and McDonald apologized for their actions Friday, and seem to be getting along better, sharing more memories of their daughter.

[Lovinlife]

http://lfpress.ca/newsstand/News/Local/2009/05/19/9495601-sun.html

Dad searches for himself

Tue, May 19, 2009
By RANDY RICHMOND, LONDON FREE PRESS 

WOODSTOCK -- Upside down, his head under the muddy water pouring into the car, Rodney Stafford's messed-up life seemed to have reached its logical conclusion.

His past was a tangle of broken relationships. He'd lost his job and his Ontario Works payments were suspended. He wasn't seeing his kids, or his parents or siblings.

In one of God's quirkier jokes, the car he'd just flipped into a ditch was also his home for the past two months.

Yet, he couldn't ignore there were others in the car. And it had landed upside down on the only rock in the drainage ditch. One window, only one, was smashed open.

Stafford unbuckled his seatbelt and with his girlfriend, clambered to the back seat of the upside down car where -- thank God -- her two kids in their car seats were high enough to breathe in a small air pocket. All four managed to get out the broken window and up through the water.

Nobody had anything worse than cuts and bruises.

"I'm not a huge Bible thumper or huge believer in higher powers, but something saved us that day," Stafford says.

A few days later, Stafford went back to see what he could salvage.

Everything inside the car was covered with a cake of mud.

The only things dry were two Bibles he'd been given and put aside for his father. "I was like, 'OK, that was enough for me. I know things have got to change.' "

[canadianmonkey]

Deenie ~ I think Victorian answered all your questions.  Thanks Victorian...it was the long weeked and I didn't get a chance to get on the computer.

Thanks Lovinglife for the updates. 

I hope the private investigator can straighten out a few things and find Tori. 

[Lovinlife]

http://lfpress.ca/newsstand/News/Local/2009/05/19/9495611-sun.html

Mom battles inner self

Tue, May 19, 2009
 
By RANDY RICHMOND, LONDON FREE PRESS
 

WOODSTOCK -- Images of her face have been broadcast and reprinted across Canada.

Her every word and move are dissected on the Internet. When she touches up her hair, it means something. When she doesn't, it means something.

Sunglasses on, sunglasses off. Tears, or no tears. What does it all mean? Who really is this Tara McDonald?

Unless you're a friend, you'll probably never truly know, McDonald herself says.

"We stick a lot to ourselves and our closest friends," she says of her boyfriend and kids.

"People have turned our life into something exciting and it absolutely isn't at all. We don't go a lot of places. We don't do a lot of things. We go bowling. We go to the movies."

McDonald, 30, is the flint that each day sparks the media's flickering light onto the disappearance of her daughter, Tori Stafford, last reported seen after school April 8.

At the almost daily news conferences on the front lawn of her Frances Street house, she's been at times open, suspicious, friendly and angry.

In a one-on-one interview in her backyard, she answers each question about her life politely and openly. Her marriage to Tori's dad and ex-husband Rodney Stafford began as a "kind of cute" meeting as teenagers that led to dates at her parents' rollerskating rink.

The two shared a love of having fun and childhoods marked by absent fathers.

Stafford's mother and father divorced when he was six. Her father didn't come into her life until she was 12.

She married at 17 on Feb. 24, 1996. Rodney was 20.

"Rodney and I had been together for three years. We knew we were going to get married eventually, so why bother waiting?"

Both had dropped out of high school, McDonald to go to hair-styling school.

"We were really, really young and we did have a good marriage," she says. "We didn't grow together. We grew apart. It wasn't an animosity breakup. It was very civil."

The couple had two children, Daryn, 11, and Tori, 8. McDonald insists she's never kept the kids from Stafford or used them as pawns when she's angry with him.

"What would happen was he would not show up for a visit that he had set up and the kids were so upset. It wasn't that I used them as pawns. I just said if you can't be consistent I can't handle them sitting at the door crying for their dad any more."

Life has been hard enough, McDonald says.

"Just trying to raise two kids properly and on your own . . . you know it's hard. You always worry about where the next meal's going to come from."

She's on social assistance but dreams of finishing training as a doula, a childbirth assistant.

About four years ago, McDonald says, she was introduced to a pill that took the worry away, Oxycontin.

"It makes everything so happy when you're not happy. When you are worried and depressed and upset."

She's on a methadone treatment program now, she says.

Questions about her ability to look after her kids while she was addicted bring a fierce and firm response. Question her appearance, news conferences, moods, demeanour, but don't question her love for her kids.

"I have been the one who has worried about where the next meal is coming from, worried about all of their needs."

Without her, the kids would be lost. And without them, McDonald says, she might be more lost. Her search for Tori takes on a new poignancy.

"If it wasn't for them, a thousand times I'd probably have given up," she says. "You don't feel like you have anything to look forward to. You have no reason to get up.

"When we're sitting there and we're bummed out and we're cranky and we look at them and they're just happy to be kids. They are just happy to be healthy and alive."

[Lovinlife]

There are videos of interviews but I can't get them moved over here for some reason:

http://www.lfpress.ca/newsstand/News/

[Tracygirl]

I am so glad to read they hired a PI. I think this will make a big difference. I wish everyone would just leave them alone now and just concentrate on what is important, finding this lost little girl! One thing I hope the PI investigates is the person on Facebook hell bent on blaming Tara for the kidnapping. In my opinion it is suspect.