8 Year Old Victoria “Tori” Stafford Missing Since April 8, 2009 in Woodstock, Ontario Canada
8 year old Victoria Stafford has been missing since Wednesday, April 8, 2009 in Ontario, Canada. Victoria Stafford was last seen Wednesday afternoon leaving Oliver Stephens Public School, where she was a Grade 3 student.
- four-feet, five inches (134 centimeters) tall
- weighing 62 pounds (28 kilograms).
- blue eyes
- blonde hair cut just below her ears
- She was last seen after she left Oliver Stephens public school about 3:30 p.m.
- Reportedly wearing a green shirt, a denim skirt, black and white shoes, and a black Hannah Montana jacket with white fur-lined hood.
- She may have been carrying a purple and pink Bratz purse
Facebook that has been set up to help find missing Victoria “Tori” Stafford. Family makes Facebook plea for missing 8 year old.
The 3rd grade student, known as Tori, was last seem on a surveillance video walking with an unidentified woman as she left school Wednesday afternoon in the city of 35,000 east of London
VIDEO (woman walking with Tori at the 1:40 minute mark)
VIDEO can also be viewed here.
Investigators, who call the woman a “person of interest,” are checking dozens of tips from the public about her identity, and are now working with a profiler to try to find out more about her.
“All police have to go on is that grainy surveillance video,” the CBC’s Christine Birak reported.
“Even the police and Victoria’s parents have said it’s strange because Victoria is not leaving against her will. It almost seems as if she knows who this woman is.”
Description of woman in the video:
- Woman between 19 and 25 years old
- between 120 and 125 pounds
- straight long black hair in a ponytail
- She was wearing a white coat and black jeans
There is a $10,000 reward for information leading to her daughter’s safe return.
Anyone with information can call police at (519) 537-2323 or contact Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS.
UPDATE I: Where’s little Tori? The Oxford Community Police are requesting the assistance of the public (pdf)
“I want my daughter home,” birth father Rodney Stafford said in Southside Park Saturday afternoon. “I want her home.”
Code Amber News Service (CANS) issued a missing endangered person alert on Saturday.
Dozens of police from Oxford, Waterloo Region and London, including dog search teams and trained London search and rescue volunteers, joined the search today. A large-scale search effort involving neighbouring police forces and hundreds of volunteers has scoured numerous lakes, ponds, wooded areas, brushes and properties .
Police say they don’t have enough evidence to even declare her disappearance a result of foul play. They’ve had hundreds of tips from the public.
“Everybody in Canada has Victoria in their hearts right now,” said Woodstock Community Police Const. Laurie-Anne Maitland.
UPDATE II: Hundreds attend vigil for missing Ont. girl
UPDATE III: Ground Search Ends for Missing Tori Stafford
Authorities said Monday they had ended their ground search for a missing 8-year-old Canadian girl a video shows walking off with an unknown woman.
Police keep insisting that Tori walked off willingly with the unknown female from the video; however, how do we know that the person did not lie to the young girl in order to gain her trust? What, like an abductor has never told a victim a lie to get them to go with them?
UPDATE IV: ‘America’s Most Wanted’ reaching out to help in Victoria Stafford case
UPDATE V: Missing Tori Stafford Case Now Considered an Abduction
The case of missing eight-year-old schoolgirl Victoria “Tori” Stafford has now been declared an abduction by the OPP veteran investigator taking over the case.
As was reported in Friday’s edition of The London Free Press, Det.-Insp Bill Renton made that announcement at a morning press during which Oxford police Chief Ron Fraser said Renton was taking over as “case manager” from a local officer.
UPDATE VI: New Searches for Missing Tori Stafford and Family Realeases Video
On Friday, the Ontario Provincial Police took the lead on the investigation from the Oxford Community Police, a move that made Tara McDonald “very, very happy.”
Her daughter Victoria Stafford did not come home after school on April 8. The third-grade student was last seen on surveillance video walking with an unknown woman.
Though the Oxford Community Police canvassed the neighbourhood and performed an extensive ground search, the OPP was knocking on doors once again over the weekend.
The Under Water Search and Recovery Unit (USRU) scoured waterways in Woodstock, using a sonar device on a pond close to Victoria’s school and other small bodies of water. So far, they haven’t found anything.
“I feel confident. Not that I didn’t before, you know, but I feel better that there’s fresh eyes,” McDonald added
[...] 8 year old Victoria Stafford, Tori, has been missing since Wednesday, April 8, 2009. Tori was last seen seen Wednesday afternoon leaving Oliver Stephens Public School, where she was captured on a surveillance video with another woman. The unknown woman, who is considered a person of interest, appears to be between the ages of 19 and 25. [...]
Pingback by 8 Year Old Victoria (Tori) Stafford Missing Since April 8, 2009 in Ontario Canada … Captured on a surveillance video | Scared Monkeys | April 13, 2009
Why are we supposed to believe she went willingly? So then does the family recognize the individual?
No one goes off with a stranger unless they are mislead and that really does not mean they went willingly.
Comment by Administrator | April 13, 2009
I just checked the RCMP missing kids website and yep,you guessed it.Victoria Stafford is not listed.
The RCMP have a phenomenal reputation in tracking down missing kids yet these local law enforcement for some reason have elected not to seek their assistance with this investigation citing that they have “plenty of major case experience”
This was even reported on the Nancy Grace show tonight.
Comment by mike | April 14, 2009
Victoria Stafford is now listed on the RCMP Missing Children’s database:
http://www.ourmissingchildren.gc.ca/cgi-bin/case.pl?id=699&lang=eng
Comment by GTA's Most Wanted | April 20, 2009
I am sadden by this case, and would like to know the people in the video the man and the kid were they questioned atol? Ialso wanted to know why isnt anybody checkign out-side of woodstock?
Comment by Helen | April 20, 2009
They have released a composite sketch of the woman seen walking with Victoria “Tori” Stafford. Here is the link. I hope it helps.
http://www.intelligencer.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1535357&
Comment by Liz Feliciano | April 23, 2009
I hope she is ok……. I cryed when I heard that she was missing!!! I hope she comes home safe and sound.
Comment by Jennifer. St. Denis | May 6, 2009
I look every where on the website and I also checked the RCMP She is not on there!!!!! I Hope she is alright, and hope she comes home safe and sound!!!
Comment by Jennifer St Denis | May 6, 2009
I know I’m not the only one thinking this but the Mom should be the prime suspect – She doesn’t even look upset – she knows where her daughter is and that she is safe. No mother would be a composed as her if they thought a stranger took their child!!!! The things that would go through your mind would drive you nuts – Just like the Dad appears to be – You can see that he hasn’t slept and you can also see his anger and frustration – don’t see that at all in the Mom…. Dad you should be drilling Mom for the location of your daughter!!!
Comment by Cheryl | May 15, 2009
[...] “Tori” Stafford was abducted on April 8, 2009 in Ontario, Canada when she was seen on a surveillance video leaving the Oliver Stephens Public School with an unknown woman. Tori Stafford had not been seen or [...]
Pingback by Canadian Police Arrest Two in the Case of Missing Victoria “Tori” Stafford … Michael Thomas C.S. Rafferty & Terri-Lynne McClintic Arrested for Kidnapping and Murder | Scared Monkeys | May 21, 2009
It is with deep sorrow that little Tori Stafford has been pronounced dead. Police are now searching for her body as two suspects, an 18 year old female and a 28 year old man have been charged. Apparently Tori was murdered on or near the day she was kidnapped. The woman is helping police locate the body in a helicopter. I hope that does not mean she will receive a lesser sentence.
Comment by Rose Randel | May 21, 2009