VICTORIA STAFFORD - Aged 8 years - Woodstock, Ontario (Canada)

Canada.com

11 April 2009

Father of Missing Ont.girl refusing to sleep

Victoria Stafford's father is vowing he won't sleep until his missing eight-year-old daughter is found.

The family of Rodney Stafford said Friday the man has been working non-stop to find his little girl since her disappearance from Woodstock, Ont., on Wednesday.

``He has been awake since his day started at six o'clock Wednesday morning and then all of this happened,'' Tori's grandmother, Doreen Graichen, told Canwest News Service.

``He started searching for Tori almost as soon as he found out that she was not to be found. He hasn't been to sleep yet, and he refuses to.''

Two days after Tori went missing, police in southern Ontario appealed Friday for a woman seen with the girl in a surveillance video to come forward.

The girl has been missing since Wednesday afternoon, when she was supposed to walk home from school in Woodstock, 145 kilometres southwest of Toronto.

The local police service, along with officers from neighbouring departments, have canvassed the area for clues to the child's disappearance.

Hundreds of volunteers, a London search-and-rescue team and a canine unit are still searching for the Grade 3 student.

A Facebook event that the girl's grandmother is a part of, Help Find Victoria Stafford, has already has almost 10,000 members.

``It's amazing, the people who offered their help for whatever they can do . . . and I can never, never thank people enough,'' said Graichen.

Although police do not suspect foul play in the young girl's disappearance, they have not ruled it out, said Const. Laurie-Anne Maitland.

``There are people that have been up all night, handing out flyers,'' Maitland said.

She said the community of about 39,000 has been integral to the search for the girl, who is described as four-foot-five, 62 pounds, with blond hair and blue eyes.

She was last seen wearing a green shirt, black velvet skirt, and black and white running shoes. She also had a black jacket with white fur trim and may have been carrying a pink and purple backpack.

Woodstock Mayor Michael Harding said he was pleased with the response from his tight-knit community.

``We're small enough as a city that citizens step up,'' said Harding.

``It shocks us when something like this happens and the longer that it goes on the more anxiety there is in our community, especially for the parents.''

A lead in the case came Thursday when a surveillance camera from a local high school captured who police say was the child and an unidentified woman, shortly after she left school Wednesday.

Police have asked for the woman, described as between 19 and 25, white, five- foot-two, about 125 pounds, with a black ponytail, to come forward.

``The facts we have right now are slim,'' Maitland said Friday.

Local media also reported that the family announced Thursday a reward from Tori's grandparents for her safe return.

``We've had a gracious donation of a $10,000 award, so to anybody who can drop off Victoria safely, there will be no questions asked,'' said Tori's mother, Tara MacDonald. ``We just want her home safely.''

MacDonald and her husband, James Goris, refused all media calls Friday.

An Amber Alert, a provincial system mobilized during missing children cases, has not been activated.

http://www.canada.com/Father+missing+girl+refusing+sleep+family/1487659/story.html

CTV.ca

11 April 2009

Volunteers join Police in search for Ontario girl

* includes photo of Victoria and TV appeal by family

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20090409/victoria_missing_090410/20090410?hub=TopStories

Anyone else notice how reserved we are in comparison to these residents? Lots with posters on their backs of missing Victoria. If a child goes missing, we should all do the same in our area !!

thestar.com

Sunday 12th April 2009

Search for missing Woodstock girl continues

WOODSTOCK — "Victoria, if you are reading this, I want you to know I love you and I will see you soon."

This is the message a teary Rodney Stafford, father of the missing 8-year-old Victoria Stafford, had today as the search intensified and hundreds of people continued to comb parks, trails and the outskirts of the city looking for the petite girl.

http://www.thestar.com/news/ontario/article/617277

I'm Praying for your safe return Victoria. xxx

A video showing victoria who seems to be know as "tory" walking away with a woman

The video has also said questions are being asked where is her mother. Her mother made on appeal and said she would not wish this on her worst enemy

http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/Search+continues+Sunday+missing+girl/1489623/story.html

You tube

A video on you tube showing victoria "tori"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNjc7rUT2K0&NR=1

CBC news Canada

12 April 2009

Police scour forests, lakes, ponds for missing Victoria Stafford

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2009/04/12/victoria-stafford.html

NThe Globe and Mail

12 April 2009

Vigil tonight for missing Ontario girl

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090412.wwoodstockvigil0412/BNStory/National/home

Another image of Victoria (Tori)

London Free Press Canada

13 April 2009

Keep focus on little girl, expert urges


A child safety expert and former London police officer is urging the public and media to keep a keen focus on the search for missing eight-year-old Victoria (Tori) Stafford.

"People, don't forget about it," pleaded Samantha Wilson, founder and president of Kidproof Canada/U.S.A., based in Surrey, B.C.

"Let's not stop talking about this. Let's just keep talking about it."

She also suggested the public keep working the social networking tools such as Twitter and Facebook.

Two Facebook groups are already in place, both called "Help Find Victoria Stafford." One of them has 17,000 members.




"Here's an opportunity when we can use all of these online connections positively," Wilson said.

She is dismayed the story is not getting more attention across the country.

Time is of the essence when it comes to finding missing children, Wilson said, but no one should give up hope.

She also said she believes police made the right call in not issuing an Amber Alert.

"The two deciding factors were time delay and no real descriptors of a potential suspect," she said.

"You don't want to de-sensitize the public."

Wilson said in most child abduction cases, the child knows the person.

"The people more likely to hurt your children are people who your children know."

A security video shows Victoria walking with an unknown woman Wednesday, the last day she was seen. Police say the woman is a person of interest.

Wilson said it's also rare to find a female kidnapper.

"Typically, a woman is not a predator.

"Sometimes women will work in tandem with a male," Wilson said.

She said there are three reasons why predators abduct children -- for sexual purposes, for profit and emotional motives.

The most common child abduction cases involve non-custodial parents.

Wilson's organization offers a course for children who will start walking to and from school without their parents or caregivers.

She wrote the program when her son turned 10 and wanted to walk to school.

She said eight "is probably on the younger side to be unsupervised."

Wilson said parents should talk to their children about safety and explain they should never go anywhere with anyone without asking permission first.

"Children are lured away. They're not taken away by force, typically.

"There is some sort of trick, which usually convinces children to go willingly," Wilson said.

http://lfpress.ca/newsstand/News/Local/2009/04/13/9095421-sun.html

The London Free Press

13 April 2009

Mother pleads for return

http://lfpress.ca/newsstand/News/Local/2009/04/13/9095391-sun.html

Globe and Mail

13 April 2009

Family makes Facebook plea for girl's return

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20090413.MISSING13ART2242/TPStory/National

The London Free Press

12 April 2009

Tori's mother: "I know in my heart she's OK"

http://lfpress.ca/newsstand/CityandRegion/2009/04/12/9094826.html