Investigators working the Victoria (Tori) Stafford murder investigation are asking for the public's help in locating a rear car seat that may be pertinent to the case.
Police say the grey-coloured, cloth rear seat is missing from a 2003 Honda sedan they allege was involved in the kidnapping and murder of the little girl.
The blue vehicle, which is partially covered by black spray paint, was spotted in a Guelph Home Depot parking lot hours after Tori went missing on April 8. Police had previously asked the public to come forward if they remembered seeing the vehicle that same day.
On Sunday, police issued a release asking the members of the public to search their properties for the missing seat and to immediately report it to the authorities if found.
"We're seeking help from the public in locating the entire rear seat of the 2003 Honda that is the suspect vehicle," Oxford Community Police Const. Laurie-Anne Maitland said Sunday.
"It has been removed (from the car) and we're asking everyone to check their properties for this grey cloth-coloured seat and to report it to the police immediately if they find it."
Investigators ask that it not be touched, so that it can be preserved in its existing state for use in the investigation.
Charles Fraser, a 77-year-old who lives in nearby Salem, spent the day looking around abandoned sites hoping to find evidence that would help police find Tori.
"I thought maybe I should check these buildings out and see because there could be something here but I hope not, it's very tragic," he told CTV Toronto.
In Tori's hometown of Woodstock, Ont., the people attending the Sunday service at the College Avenue United Church were in mourning over the death of one of their youngest members, said Rev. David Duncan.
"Certainly it has really hit the church family hard, we've been trying to do what we can to support and reach out with comfort to the family," Duncan said. "It has hit home, too close to home."
Congregation members have been struggling with their grief, he said, especially after police announced the case has been designated as a murder.
"Just by their body language, or the tears (you can tell) that they really are sad, or have questions, or are angry," he said.
"But I was hoping that people would be able to know that God was with them and that his love was greater than even this evil."
Police continue search for Tori's remains
The remains of the Grade 3 student have yet to be recovered, despite an intense police effort that has ramped up since the arrest of two suspects late Tuesday night.
Terri-Lynne McClintic, 18, faces charges of kidnapping and being an accessory to murder after the fact.
Her boyfriend, Michael Thomas C.S. Rafferty, 28, is charged with kidnapping and murder.
None of the allegations against Rafferty and McClintic have been proven in a court of law.
McClintic is said to have been helping police locate the child's remains, but so far there appears to have been no results.
A court order allowing McClintic to assist police in their search runs out today.
Her lawyer has said her client is doing her best to help police, but weather and foliage changes have made her assistance more difficult.
Maitland told reporters that she could not provide information on where the search was focused on Sunday.
Tori went missing after her school day ended at on April 8. She did not return home.
Oxford Community Police were notified that she was missing at 6 p.m. that same night.
Oxford Community Police later released video footage of a woman in a white coat seen walking with Tori shortly after school ended the day she disappeared.
The OPP later took control of the case.
With files from The Canadian Press and a report from CTV Toronto's Reshmi Nair
