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

[can]

NorRose - Thank you again.  Such sadness, pain and suffering and they can't even give their daughter a proper burial. 
I hope they find little Tori soon.
 

[Tracygirl]

Just so heartbreaking what these families go through. The death of a child has to be the worse type of loss a person can feel. I am so sorry this happened to Tori.  I will continue to pray for her return to her family. Not being able to bury her has got to just add to an all ready unmanageable amount of pain for them. I will say an added prayer for her poor brother, he has nothing to feel guilty about. Tori should have been able to walk home that day without all of this. Poor boy, just breaks my heart into a million pieces.

[califmom]

Victoria Stafford: a deeply happy child who loved ice cream but hated socks
June, 5, 2009 - 12:22 pm Jones, Allison - (THE CANADIAN PRESS) 
THE CANADIAN PRESS
WOODSTOCK, Ont. - Victoria Elizabeth Stafford did not have the easiest life. Her parents split up when she was 2 1/2. Her father admits he wasn't always around. Her mother admits an addiction to painkillers.

But by all accounts she was a deeply happy and well-adjusted child, surrounded by an enormous amount of love.

Her little body has not been found, but a memorial will be held Saturday to remember a girl those who were central figures in her short life - her father, grandmothers, aunts and uncles - say was a bright spark of life filled with love.

[continued below]

 
She was a beautiful, sweet baby, but would just not sleep. Full of energy, when Tori the toddler was put down for the night she would keep popping up and peering over the rail of her crib.

Her maternal grandmother's trick was the scratch her back to get her to sleep. It was a custom Linda Winters shared with Tori and that started with her older brother, Daryn.

Victoria's spunky spirit would abound for the rest of her almost nine-year life, as her relatives remember a girl who was always on the go.

"People should remember her as a burst of life," her aunt Randi Millen says.

She loved music as spunky as her, and whenever her uncle Steve Millen put on "The Hamster Dance" song Victoria and her cousins would start bouncing around.

The only times Randi Millen ever saw Tori sitting still were at Medieval Times - a Toronto dinner-theatre show that features jousting - and the Nutcracker ballet.

Even movies were difficult for the active child to sit through. The longer she sat, the antsier she got.

"She was always a little pistol," her paternal grandmother Doreen Graichen says.

As a younger girl she was more timid and quiet, but as she grew so did her outgoing personality. She was not afraid to talk to anyone and showed compassion for all people.

Tori was often hyper, but she was also loved to hug and to cuddle. She would spend many hours with Winters, sitting in a chair together, wrapped up in a blanket and reading the Bible.

In pictures, her white blonde hair and beaming face show a radiant little girl. In several photos she seems to have decided a simple smile would not suffice and instead flashed the camera a massive, open-mouthed grin that nearly enveloped her face.

That somewhat impish smile has been transmitted all across Canada and on flyers her family made when Victoria went missing. Two people have now been charged with first-degree murder and tragically the search for the bright, bubbly girl has become a grim hunt for her remains.

In many regards she was a typical eight-year-old, but while she was a giggly girly-girl she was also fascinated by insects and nature.

Victoria loved to play dress-up, staging fashion shows and painting her nails with her cousins and having tea parties. She loved to shop and had several T-shirts with that fact proudly emblazoned across the front.

Known as Tori to some and Princess Victoria to others, she loved the popular girl-oriented franchises of Hannah Montana, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, and Barbie and Bratz, Winters recalls.

And sparkles. She loved sparkles.

Victoria had a penchant for ice cream, especially bubblegum flavour. Winters remembers her picking out the pieces of gum one by one and saving them for last.

Little Victoria was also a budding artist, putting careful effort into creating beautiful birthday, Valentine's Day and Christmas cards for her relatives - often with a roses-are-red-"vilitse"-are-blue poem inside.

She was content to spend hours drawing and sketching and was happy as long as she had a pencil and paper. In fact, when no paper was available Tori would make do. Her dad recalls many an important document getting covered with smiley faces and stick figures.

But she was also a nature-buff and was constantly exploring the world around her. Victoria was always catching snakes, worms and salamanders - sometimes while wearing a dress.

She would even play with spiders and other bugs that made their way into the house.

Outdoorsy to the core, she spent what time she could swimming, biking, skipping stones and helping Graichen in the garden, taking time and great care to figure out the perfect spot for each flower she planted.

Victoria was in her element on a trip to Alberta last summer, surrounded by the beautiful mountains and nature.

"It was stuff that was supposed to be a lifetime of memories for her," Graichen says.

The little princess was a carefree, "fluttery" girl who would spend her summer days running across neighbours' lawns barefoot.

That neighbours spotted the little girl barefoot would come as no surprise to family members, who say Tori absolutely hated socks. She went without them whenever she could and her shoes would stink as a result.

Even in winter they would have a hard time getting her to put anything on her feet. The last time her father took her on one of their many walks, in the cold days before she went missing, Victoria wore only Crocs on her feet - with no socks, of course.

The refusal to wear socks even in inclement weather is indicative of the little girl with a big personality. And an attitude to match, her dad says.

Victoria had an ear-piercing scream that would sometimes come out when she was mad, sometimes when she was happy, and sometimes just for the fun of showing everyone how loudly she could scream.

When she didn't get her own way, Victoria would storm off to her room and slam her door not once, but twice. She was just learning how to best get her own way and could turn the waterworks on and off as needed.

But what truly upset her the most was fighting with her beloved brother Daryn. He was just two years older than his sister and she was always trying to keep up with him, all her relatives say.

Daryn is an A or B student while Tori was a B or C student, and it was a constant source of frustration for her. She didn't really like doing her homework, so she and her dad had to have a little chat about that. It would be one of the last times they talked.

Victoria and Daryn went through a lot together and had a rock-solid bond. They were everything to each other and would do anything for one another.

Whenever Tori was crying, protective Daryn would try to comfort her - even if he was the reason why she was crying.

"She never liked fighting with her brother," her dad Rodney Stafford says.

"Every time he got mad at her she felt like she was losing her best friend."


http://www.news1130.com/news/national/more.jsp?content=n054104526

CanadianMonkey - Thanks for posting this story which gives us a little glimpse of what this little girl was like!!  She sounded adorable!!  I am so sorry this happened to her.  I sure hope she is found soon.

God Bless Tori and her family!!  My heart aches for all of them.

[Tracygirl]

FYI, if anyone is interested you can view the memorial service on http://www.livestream.com/lfpress Just press the demand tab then the june link. Warning though, have a lot of tissues as it is so very sad.

[Northern Rose]

FYI, if anyone is interested you can view the memorial service on http://www.livestream.com/lfpress Just press the demand tab then the june link. Warning though, have a lot of tissues as it is so very sad.

It is very sad and very heartfelt.  I was a mess after watching it yesterday.  Can not imaging the pain they are feeling as a family.  I just want to reach out to Daryn and hold him.

[Northern Rose]

“I believe my heart will not fully mend.”
Posted By Elliot Ferguson, Sentinel-Review

WOODSTOCK — Daryn Stafford was a child again.

In the warm afternoon sunlight, the 11-year-old chased his friends and played with his relatives, white shirttails flapping behind him as he ran through the crowd.

Moments earlier, Daryn had brought tears to that crowd, an audience of 800 gathered Saturday afternoon at Calvary Pentecostal Church for a memorial to his sister Victoria “Tori” Stafford.

It was two months of grief and pain distilled into one young boy coming to grips with the loss of his sister and it washed over the audience like a wave.

“We are here today to say our goodbyes to my little sister Victoria,” Daryn said.

“I love you Tori. I miss you, I mean, we miss you and always will.”

Flanked by his parents Tara McDonald and Rodney Stafford,

Daryn broke down in tears, leaning into his father for support as his mother finished reading for him.

“I miss seeing you every night. I miss you laying in bed until we had to leave for school. I miss hugging you. I miss brushing my teeth with you. I miss kissing you goodnight. I miss walking to school with you. I miss arguing with you and, finally, I miss holding you.

“All I can do is think about you and think I’m your brother which means I’m supposed to protect you but I guess that I didn’t.

But still, at the end of the day I still can’t say goodnight. I waited all day, everyday, waiting for your safe return.

“Today, I’ll try hard not to cry because we’re here to celebrate your wonderful life. Just like you who said that one day when you pass you’ll see Papa which means I bet that you are in heaven right now just talking and meeting all your past family.

“I’ll always love you and remember to tell my kids about you. I’ll love you for always and I’ll see you in my dreams.

“Again, I love you and I always will. I will miss you for so long but I won’t always be sad because I know you wouldn’t want me to be sad. I love you. Love always, your big brother Daryn.”

Victoria’s mother McDonald shared her memories of her daughter, who was both a tomboy and a fashion diva. Sometimes, she was both at the same time, McDonald said, describing how Victoria shrieked when she got her favourite dress caught in the spokes of her bike.

“I think that kids (are) a combination of the best parts of their parents and Victoria was very definitely the best parts of Rodney and I combined,” she said.

“She was the inner diva in me and the fisherman in her father.

“I would give my own life if just hear her sweet voice just one more time. To hold her in my arms, to smell her hair,” she said.

“But I have so many memories to hold in my heart. My daughter will never be forgotten. ”

Victoria’s father Rodney Stafford said he always knew his children would make a difference in the world but never dreamed it would be like this.

“I believe my heart will not fully mend,” he said.

“I never believed I would truly see what an real angel looked like, then I was blessed with daddy’s little girl,” he said.

“Watching you grow over the years and become the little diva with attitude made me so warm inside.

“To know that no matter how things went in life for me you were always there to take my hand and say it was okay and that you still loved me. It took me a very long time to realize you were saying the things to me that I should have been saying to you.

http://www.oxfordreview.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1602212

The video of the service is also on this link

[Kat_Gram]

http://www.brantfordexpositor.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1603332&auth=Vincent%20Ball,%20Expositor%20Staff
Might be related, might not ...
Could be an older case of a missing child.

[canadianmonkey]

http://www.brantfordexpositor.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1603332&auth=Vincent%20Ball,%20Expositor%20Staff
Might be related, might not ...
Could be an older case of a missing child.

How long does it take for a body to become bones?  Not to be graphic.  I'm just wondering and don't know...hmmm...

[Tracygirl]

http://www.brantfordexpositor.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1603332&auth=Vincent%20Ball,%20Expositor%20Staff
Might be related, might not ...
Could be an older case of a missing child.

How long does it take for a body to become bones?  Not to be graphic.  I'm just wondering and don't know...hmmm...

I couldn't recall so I looked, my goodness it is not the easiest read. Short of entering "the body farm" which is a scientific study of this, I read it depends on condition such as temperature, where the body is left etc... somewhere around 3-6 months.

[canadianmonkey]

http://www.brantfordexpositor.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1603332&auth=Vincent%20Ball,%20Expositor%20Staff
Might be related, might not ...
Could be an older case of a missing child.

How long does it take for a body to become bones?  Not to be graphic.  I'm just wondering and don't know...hmmm...

I couldn't recall so I looked, my goodness it is not the easiest read. Short of entering "the body farm" which is a scientific study of this, I read it depends on condition such as temperature, where the body is left etc... somewhere around 3-6 months.

So it's been cold here for the last two months that Tori has been missing.  I doubt that the bones will be her remains.  Which begs the question...whose are they?

[no rose colored glasses]

http://www.brantfordexpositor.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1603332&auth=Vincent%20Ball,%20Expositor%20Staff
Might be related, might not ...
Could be an older case of a missing child.

  I sure don't know what to think about this, I hope it's Tori, I can't imagine unless another child is missing in the area.

[Tracygirl]

http://www.brantfordexpositor.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1603332&auth=Vincent%20Ball,%20Expositor%20Staff
Might be related, might not ...
Could be an older case of a missing child.

  I sure don't know what to think about this, I hope it's Tori, I can't imagine unless another child is missing in the area.

I know what you mean. Has there been a child missing from this area?

What I read, now this is not easy to read. The body goes through stages and the speed is based on conditions. Climate, insects, placement all are contributing factors. bodies buried above ground usually decompose faster then those buried under ground in a container. From what I read, to get down to bare bones without any tissue takes a long time, probably longer then Tori has been gone. But we don't know what conditions there bones were in.

God although I still pray this is some kind of prank from a woman scorn, if not, I pray this is Tori so she can be buried. If I am holding onto that one very slim, 1:100,000,000,000,000 chance this child is not really gone, what must the family believe, deep down inside do they hold that slim chance too? Can they ever really know without seeing a body? If this is not Tori, then who is it?

[canadianmonkey]

The only missing child I could find with the right age when they went missing was from Toronto in 1985.  She was 8.  Nicole Louise Morin. 

[Northern Rose]

Grimsby group reaches out
Posted By KRISTA SEGGEWISS, Sentinel-Review
Posted 3 hours ago
 

Thousands of paper butterflies fluttered down on city lawns early Sunday morning in memory of Victoria "Tori" Stafford.

Volunteers and board members from the Grimsby-based Brandee Elliott Education Projects planted 3,500 white and purple butterflies on lawns across Woodstock as a tribute to the eight-year-old.

"We wanted to show that there were other people out there who care," said Cass Elliott, vice-chair of the board of directors.

Tori's name is featured on the butterflies, which double as stickers. Addressed to Tori's family, friends and citizens of Woodstock, the tiny cutouts bear the writing "We Care: From the Brandee Elliott Project and Citizens of Grimsby."

The Elliott family knows what it's like to lose a child. More than 10 years ago, Elliott's sister Brandee died in a car crash. The organization for young people was founded in her name to encourage citizenship and service to society.

"I thought it was neat," said Shirley Ivanoff, who woke up Sunday morning to find a butterfly on the lawn of her Henry Street home. "I'm certain that anyone who has heard about it feels it could possibly be their child or grandchild."

Another Woodstock resident said it was a nice gesture.

"It was a good idea," said Tyler Allard. "It's nice to see the community showing support for Tori's family for their loss and the tough time they're going through."

http://woodstocksentinelreview.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1604934

[Northern Rose]

Almost 5,000 tips in case
Posted By BRUCE URQUHART, Sentinel-Review
Posted 3 hours ago
 

The ongoing investigation into the murder of Victoria "Tori" Stafford shows no sign of abating as officers continue to follow up on hundreds of public tips.

Including the calls that have poured in to investigators since the introduction of Friday's dedicated telephone line, the police have received 4,941 tips to date, said Const. Laurie-Anne Maitland, spokesperson for the joint OPP-Oxford Community Police Service investigation. With police intent on exploring every possible lead, Maitland said the massive investigation would continue until all avenues were exhausted.

"There's so many different tips," Maitland said Monday. "You really can't stop until you investigate them all."

The reason for establishing the dedicated telephone line was to help investigators cope with the deluge of public tips about the eight-year-old's abduction and murder. The new telephone line is helping officers catalogue what information has been received and investigated.

"It's easier to handle that way," Maitland said. "They'll know if a tip has already been received or not."

While investigators continue to scrutinize every single tip, the OPP continues to search the rural areas of Wellington County for the little girl's remains.

Last week, Terri-Lynne McClintic, who, along with 28-year-old Michael Rafferty, is accused of Tori's kidnap and murder, reportedly resumed assisting officers in the search of fields and wooded areas around Fergus, Ont. Members of the OPP emergency response team also continued their arduous search of the Oxford County landfill for possible evidence in the case.

One key piece of evidence that investigators still hope to find is the missing cloth-covered back seat of the 2003 Honda Civic that was allegedly used in Tori's April 8 abduction. The grey seat was purportedly abandoned some time between the day of the abduction and the May 19 arrests of the two suspects.

"We're still looking for the seat, among other things," Maitland said. "That has not been recovered yet."

As for the scope of the search, Maitland said investigators were focusing their efforts on areas the suspects had likely visited before their arrests. Because Tori was last seen in Woodstock, the landfill is an obvious place to search for evidence while Highway 401 is a "natural route" between Oxford County and the Guelph area.

"It's necessary to cover areas where they know they (allegedly) were," Maitland said.

Rafferty is scheduled to return to court on Friday while 18-year-old McClintic is slated for a June 23 appearance.

http://woodstocksentinelreview.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1604936

[Northern Rose]

This may not be related and they were infant remains.

Remains of three infants, not one, found in basement

Tue, June 9, 2009

London police have re-arrested a woman who lived in a home where the remains of three infants were found in a basement.

The woman, Jennifer Sinn, 32, was originally arrested on Saturday and released on conditions after what was thought to be the remains of one baby were found in the basement of 1302 Sandford Street.

She was charged with concealing the body of a child and offering an indignity to a body

Sinn was re-arrested today after police discovered they are dealing with three, not one, infant remains.

More charges are expected, said London Police Supt. Ken Heslop.

Officers will be searching the home, a duplex in east London, this afternoon. The remains will be sent tomorrow to the Centre of Forensic Sciences in Toronto, where an autopsy is scheduled for Thursday.

It's possible by Friday police could know a cause of death for the infants, said Heslop.

The woman was a "former tenant" of the Standford Street residence, police said.

Police said the remains of all three infants were in advanced stages of decomposition.

Police said neither the gender nor ages of any of the three infants is yet clear.

Sinn is in custody.

http://lfpress.ca/newsstand/News/Local/2009/06/09/9736411.html

[canadianmonkey]

This may not be related and they were infant remains.

Remains of three infants, not one, found in basement

Tue, June 9, 2009

London police have re-arrested a woman who lived in a home where the remains of three infants were found in a basement.

The woman, Jennifer Sinn, 32, was originally arrested on Saturday and released on conditions after what was thought to be the remains of one baby were found in the basement of 1302 Sandford Street.

She was charged with concealing the body of a child and offering an indignity to a body

Sinn was re-arrested today after police discovered they are dealing with three, not one, infant remains.

More charges are expected, said London Police Supt. Ken Heslop.

Officers will be searching the home, a duplex in east London, this afternoon. The remains will be sent tomorrow to the Centre of Forensic Sciences in Toronto, where an autopsy is scheduled for Thursday.

It's possible by Friday police could know a cause of death for the infants, said Heslop.

The woman was a "former tenant" of the Standford Street residence, police said.

Police said the remains of all three infants were in advanced stages of decomposition.

Police said neither the gender nor ages of any of the three infants is yet clear.

Sinn is in custody.

http://lfpress.ca/newsstand/News/Local/2009/06/09/9736411.html

There are different street names.  The first article that was posted, the bones were found in a shed.  These were found in a basement. 

What's with all the bodies being found in the same area?   

[Kat_Gram]

The only missing child I could find with the right age when they went missing was from Toronto in 1985.  She was 8.  Nicole Louise Morin. 

I looked and looked and that was the only one I could find. I am sure there will be some news at some time. I don't think it would be Tori. At this point, it would be dental records.

[Mary]

Nicole Moran: wasn't she the little girl missing from Mississauga, she left the
apartment to meet her friend and go swimming. There was a massive search for
her and they never ever even got any sightings or anything of her. I saw a show
on her a few months back. I hope this is her, the family needs some closure.

[Northern Rose]

Chief leading Tori case retiring
By THE CANADIAN PRESS

Last Updated: 10th June 2009, 3:32am

WOODSTOCK -- The chief for Oxford Community Police has announced plans to retire in October after more than three decades of policing.

Chief Ron Fraser admitted yesterday the timing is awkward because the investigation into the death of 8-year-old Victoria Stafford is still ongoing, but he says his retirement has been in the works since December.

Fraser joined the force in 1976 and became chief in September 2001.

He says he had been hoping to make a career change before 2010, the year he turns 60.

The outgoing chief will be replaced by Deputy Chief Rod Freeman.

http://www.torontosun.com/news/canada/2009/06/10/9745511-sun.html