Investigation underway outside Ontario daycare after missing child found dead
A child was found dead after going missing from an Ontario town on Thursday night.
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) received a call regarding a missing child from an address in Hamilton Township, north of Cobourg, on Thursday just before 5:20 p.m.
An OPP cruiser and police tape were seen outside of Watch Me Grow Daycare on County Road 45 in Baltimore, Ont., on Friday.
Police tape seen outside of a daycare north of Cobourg, Ont., on Thursday, May 26, 2023 (CTV News Toronto/ Corey Baird).
Greg Gotthelf, a local resident, said a woman from the daycare ran across the road asking for help in the search for a two or three-year-old child on Thursday.
“We started looking, checking our backyards, everybody. Police started showing up more, all in all a bad situation,” he said.
Then, Gotthelf said he witnessed the child’s mother in “sheer pain” as she arrived at the scene.
The child was found dead at the address they were reported missing from, OPP say. The child's cause of death is currently unknown
Police tape seen outside of a daycare north of Cobourg, Ont., on Thursday, May 26, 2023 (CTV News Toronto/ Corey Baird).
Emergency crews were seen searching a wooded area on the side of a busy country road just a few minutes north of Highway 401 in footage taken on Thursday and obtained by CTV News Toronto.
A death investigation is now underway at the address where the child was found.
Another neighbour, Pam Fessler, said the child’s sudden death has left the community in shock.
A missing child was found dead in an Ontario town east of Toronto on Thursday, May 25, 2023.
“Horrible, just horrible,” she said. “I have a two-and-a-half-year-old little niece and I couldn't imagine anything happening to her.”
The OPP’s Criminal Investigation Branch is investigating in conjunction with the Office of the Chief Coroner for Ontario.
“We were deeply saddened to hear about the passing of a child and off our heartfelt condolences to their family and loved ones,” a spokesperson for the Ministry of Education told CTV News Toronto, adding staff are working with police and the child care centre.
The ministry said Watch Me Grow is a licensed chid care centre with no history of serious incidents.
Police say there is no threat to public safety.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
opinion Tom Mulcair: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's train wreck of a final act
In his latest column for CTVNews.ca, former NDP leader and political analyst Tom Mulcair puts a spotlight on the 'spectacular failure' of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's final act on the political stage.
B.C. mayor gets calls from across Canada about 'crazy' plan to recruit doctors
A British Columbia community's "out-of-the-box" plan to ease its family doctor shortage by hiring physicians as city employees is sparking interest from across Canada, says Colwood Mayor Doug Kobayashi.
'There’s no support': Domestic abuse survivor shares difficulties leaving her relationship
An Edmonton woman who tried to flee an abusive relationship ended up back where she started in part due to a lack of shelter space.
opinion King Charles' Christmas: Who's in and who's out this year?
Christmas 2024 is set to be a Christmas like no other for the Royal Family, says royal commentator Afua Hagan. King Charles III has initiated the most important and significant transformation of royal Christmas celebrations in decades.
Baseball Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson dead at 65, reports say
Rickey Henderson, a Baseball Hall of Famer and Major League Baseball’s all-time stolen bases leader, is dead at 65, according to multiple reports.
Arizona third-grader saves choking friend
An Arizona third-grader is being recognized by his local fire department after saving a friend from choking.
Germans mourn the 5 killed and 200 injured in the apparent attack on a Christmas market
Germans on Saturday mourned the victims of an apparent attack in which authorities say a doctor drove into a busy outdoor Christmas market, killing five people, injuring 200 others and shaking the public’s sense of security at what would otherwise be a time of joy.
Blake Lively accuses 'It Ends With Us' director Justin Baldoni of harassment and smear campaign
Blake Lively has accused her 'It Ends With Us' director and co-star Justin Baldoni of sexual harassment on the set of the movie and a subsequent effort to “destroy' her reputation in a legal complaint.
Oysters distributed in B.C., Alberta, Ontario recalled for norovirus contamination
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has issued a recall due to possible norovirus contamination of certain oysters distributed in British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario.