Latest news with #Claire
Montreal Gazette
a day ago
- Montreal Gazette
Claire Bell disappearance: A timeline of the four-day search
The disappearance of three-year-old Claire Bell from Montreal on Sunday sparked a frantic four-day search that stretched across two provinces and captured national attention. Claire was found alive near a highway in eastern Ontario nearly 72 hours later — alone, conscious, and able to speak. The Sûreté du Québec and Ontario Provincial Police have credited public tips and drone surveillance for helping locate the child. Here's how the search unfolded. Sunday — Last seen in LaSalle Claire was last seen at 9:45 a.m. on Sunday in the borough of LaSalle, near Newman Blvd., with her mother and pet Chihuahua. Later that day, just after 3:30 p.m., her mother, 34-year-old Rachel Todd, reported Claire missing at a fireworks shop in Coteau-du-Lac, Que. The SQ launched an investigation, set up a command post near the fireworks shop, and began searching around Todd's apartment building in LaSalle. That same morning, Todd uploaded a video to her TikTok account. The account handle does not include her name. In the video, Todd is holding Claire in her arms. Addressing the camera, she says: 'You try that again and it's going to get ugly.' The clip was captioned: 'Have you ever faced a mother who has nothing left to lose?' The video was posted just before Claire was last seen in LaSalle. Monday — A grim discovery and an arrest The search intensified on Monday, with growing media attention and rising speculation online. In the afternoon, officers discovered the body of a Chihuahua along the highway, about 10 kilometres from the fireworks store where Claire's mother had reported her missing. The dog matched the description of the Chihuahua seen with Claire and her mother the day she disappeared. Search crews continued combing wooded areas and grassy ditches near Highway 20 near Coteau-du-Lac. As the day progressed, a major development came when police arrested Todd and charged her with child abandonment. She was questioned by investigators from the SQ's major crimes division. Officers said the investigation remained active and that further charges were possible. Meanwhile, members of the public and media had discovered Todd's social media posts. By Monday night, thousands had viewed her TikTok account. According to Todd's TikTok videos, she and Claire's father were once together but appear to have since separated. Tuesday — The search expands The search operation had widened across southern Quebec and eastern Ontario. Helicopters, drones and ground teams were deployed to search a wide swath of territory. News of the mother's arrest made headlines Tuesday morning. Throughout the day, Claire's father, 35-year-old Matt Bell, shared several posts on Instagram and Facebook appealing to residents in Vaudreuil and nearby towns to check their home surveillance systems and dashcams. He declined to speak to the media, but shared widely circulated images of his daughter. Wednesday — Search narrows in Ontario Police said Claire had been seen on Sunday afternoon — around 2 p.m. — in the area the region surrounding Casselman and St-Albert, Ont. Investigators also appealed to the public for help locating a potential witness in the case, a woman who works and lives on a farm somewhere in southeastern Ontario or southwestern Quebec. The SQ and OPP concentrated efforts on rural areas near Highway 417 and deployed additional resources, including drones. Wednesday afternoon — Claire is found Shortly after 2 p.m., a drone operated by the OPP spotted Claire alone in a field outside St-Albert, not far from the highway. Officers reached her soon after, police later confirmed. Claire was conscious, able to speak, and appeared to be in stable condition. She was taken to hospital for a medical evaluation. Police informed the media of her discovery at around 3:40 p.m. At a joint press briefing later that evening, police confirmed that public tips were key to the outcome. However, they declined to answer questions about the circumstances surrounding Claire's disappearance, saying the investigation remains ongoing. Shortly after the the discovery of Claire was announced, the toddler's father, Matt Bell, posted a brief message on Instagram: 'Thank you everyone. Please allow me and my family to take this time with our girl.' This story was originally published June 19, 2025 at 7:04 AM.
Vancouver Sun
a day ago
- Vancouver Sun
Claire Bell told police 'mom told me to wait' after missing Quebec toddler was found at side of Ontario highway: report
Along with joy and relief at finding three-year-old Claire Bell alive in eastern Ontario after four days of searching come questions of how she survived and why she was alone at the side of a rural highway 150 kilometres from her home in Montreal Police officially aren't saying much about the case, as their focus moves from the public search into a criminal investigation stage, but published accounts say the girl made a staggering and perplexing statement to her rescuers. I'm waiting for mom, she told me to wait for her 'I'm waiting for mom, she told me to wait for her,' Radio-Canada, CBC's French-language branch, reported Claire telling police who found her. 'Mom told me to wait,' the Journal de Montréal, a daily French-language newspaper reported the girl said. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Police officials would not confirm the conversations, saying there is already an ongoing prosecution in Quebec, after the girl's mother, Rachel-Ella Todd, 34, was arrested late Monday night and charged with child abandonment while Claire was still missing. There also may now be a prosecution in Ontario, as the girl was allegedly abandoned abut 50 kilometres into Ontario from the Quebec border. Police credit information from the public for helping solve the girl's disappearance. The strange way the girl was reported missing and distressing twists during the search galvanized public interest in the case. Police asked the public to help them track the movement of a grey 2007 Ford Escape, which helped investigators shift their attention into eastern Ontario. The SUV was reported to have been seen in the St-Albert and Casselman area. A drone operated by the Ontario Provincial Police spotted the girl around 2 p.m. on Wednesday in a field along an on-ramp for Highway 417 near the rural community of St. Albert, Ont., about 150 kilometres west of Montreal. OPP officers following behind the drone then swooped in to rescue her. Police said Claire was 'fine,' and described her as being conscious and able to talk. Photos from the scene show her looking stable and well, although a bit startled and unkempt. She was taken to hospital for a medical evaluation as a precaution. 'We were preparing for the worst, I think everyone was,' an Ontario police source said. Officers were overjoyed when she was found. Officers were seen celebrating the outcome of their efforts. 'The last few days, officers and members of the community have held our breath and hoped while we searched,' OPP Acting Staff-Sgt. Shaun Cameron. 'Now we exhale as one, knowing she is safe.' 'This is why we are police,' said Sûreté du Québec Capt. Benoît Richard. Cameron said police would not have found the girl in time without 'critical information' from the public. 'This was a search where we knew, especially given her age, that every hour mattered,' he said. 'This search proves that when a child goes missing, there are no interprovincial boundaries. There is only one goal: to find them.' Claire's father, Matthew Bell, thanked the public and asked for privacy in a social media post. Quebec Premier François Legault described the girl's safe return as 'almost a miracle,' and thanked police as well as members of the public who called in tips. Todd appeared before a judge on Tuesday by video from a police station, represented by a legal-aid lawyer. She was back in court briefly on Wednesday when the case was put off until Friday for a potential bail hearing. Claire was last seen Sunday morning, Father's Day, with her mother, at the apartment where Claire and Todd lived. News that she was missing was revealed about six hours later when her mother pulled into a roadside fireworks and souvenir store about 55 kilometres west of their apartment. Police said she told an employee she had lost her child and didn't know where she was. An enormous search began that shifted and grew from the Sunday missing child report through 72 hours. Hot days with little or no access to water would have posed the greatest risk to the rescued Montreal toddler's survival, a search and rescue coordinator who participated in the search told the Montreal Gazette . 'Water, normally after about three days, becomes a significant concern,' said Dany Chaput, on-site coordinator for the Association of Quebec Volunteers for Search and Rescue. The three days Claire was missing 'were very hot. There was a lot of sun,' he said. Around 120 volunteers under his direction spent three days combing areas near the Coteau-du-Lac exit where police had found the mother's car. Those volunteers 'drank enormous amounts of water and, despite that, had headaches, dizziness.' Claire wouldn't have had the same access to water, Chaput said. 'I don't think she necessarily had access to her primary needs.' National Post with additional reporting by Montreal Gazette and The Canadian Press • Email: ahumphreys@ | Twitter: AD_Humphreys Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here .
Edmonton Journal
a day ago
- Edmonton Journal
Claire Bell told police 'mom told me to wait' after missing Quebec toddler was found at side of Ontario highway: report
Article content Along with joy and relief at finding three-year-old Claire Bell alive in eastern Ontario after four days of searching come questions of how she survived and why she was alone at the side of a rural highway 150 kilometres from her home in Montreal Police officially aren't saying much about the case, as their focus moves from the public search into a criminal investigation stage, but published accounts say the girl made a staggering and perplexing statement to her rescuers. Article content I'm waiting for mom, she told me to wait for her 'I'm waiting for mom, she told me to wait for her,' Radio-Canada, CBC's French-language branch, reported Claire telling police who found her. 'Mom told me to wait,' the Journal de Montréal, a daily French-language newspaper reported the girl said. Police officials would not confirm the conversations, saying there is already an ongoing prosecution in Quebec, after the girl's mother, Rachel-Ella Todd, 34, was arrested late Monday night and charged with child abandonment while Claire was still missing. There also may now be a prosecution in Ontario, as the girl was allegedly abandoned abut 50 kilometres into Ontario from the Quebec border. Police credit information from the public for helping solve the girl's disappearance. The strange way the girl was reported missing and distressing twists during the search galvanized public interest in the case. Police asked the public to help them track the movement of a grey 2007 Ford Escape, which helped investigators shift their attention into eastern Ontario. Article content The SUV was reported to have been seen in the St-Albert and Casselman area. A drone operated by the Ontario Provincial Police spotted the girl around 2 p.m. on Wednesday in a field along an on-ramp for Highway 417 near the rural community of St. Albert, Ont., about 150 kilometres west of Montreal. OPP officers following behind the drone then swooped in to rescue her. Police said Claire was 'fine,' and described her as being conscious and able to talk. Photos from the scene show her looking stable and well, although a bit startled and unkempt. She was taken to hospital for a medical evaluation as a precaution. 'We were preparing for the worst, I think everyone was,' an Ontario police source said. Officers were overjoyed when she was found. Officers were seen celebrating the outcome of their efforts. 'The last few days, officers and members of the community have held our breath and hoped while we searched,' OPP Acting Staff-Sgt. Shaun Cameron. 'Now we exhale as one, knowing she is safe.' Article content 'This is why we are police,' said Sûreté du Québec Capt. Benoît Richard. Cameron said police would not have found the girl in time without 'critical information' from the public. 'This was a search where we knew, especially given her age, that every hour mattered,' he said. 'This search proves that when a child goes missing, there are no interprovincial boundaries. There is only one goal: to find them.' Claire's father, Matthew Bell, thanked the public and asked for privacy in a social media post. Quebec Premier François Legault described the girl's safe return as 'almost a miracle,' and thanked police as well as members of the public who called in tips. Todd appeared before a judge on Tuesday by video from a police station, represented by a legal-aid lawyer. She was back in court briefly on Wednesday when the case was put off until Friday for a potential bail hearing. Article content Claire was last seen Sunday morning, Father's Day, with her mother, at the apartment where Claire and Todd lived. News that she was missing was revealed about six hours later when her mother pulled into a roadside fireworks and souvenir store about 55 kilometres west of their apartment. Police said she told an employee she had lost her child and didn't know where she was. An enormous search began that shifted and grew from the Sunday missing child report through 72 hours. Hot days with little or no access to water would have posed the greatest risk to the rescued Montreal toddler's survival, a search and rescue coordinator who participated in the search told the Montreal Gazette. 'Water, normally after about three days, becomes a significant concern,' said Dany Chaput, on-site coordinator for the Association of Quebec Volunteers for Search and Rescue. The three days Claire was missing 'were very hot. There was a lot of sun,' he said. Latest National Stories
The Province
2 days ago
- The Province
Missing Quebec girl, 3, found safe after bizarre disappearance that led to charge against mother
She was discovered by drones near Highway 417 by Ontario Provincial Police. 'It is the best scenario we could have imagined,' police said Quebec toddler Claire Bell, 3, has been found three days after she mysteriously disappeared. Photo by Sûreté du Québec The Father's Day disappearance of three-year-old Claire Bell was bizarre from the start, and as the frantic search for the missing Montreal girl stretched into its fourth day the escalating strangeness of the case was pointing to a dark ending. But then came joyful news. Claire had been found alive. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors The missing girl was found by police in eastern Ontario, about 150 kilometres from her home in Montreal, on Wednesday afternoon. She was found in the St-Albert region after a strange and shifting investigation and large, intensive ground and air search. As the news broke, some signs pointed to a parental dispute, perhaps designed to coincide with Father's Day or perhaps fuelled by other concerns and desperation. The case had galvanized the public. Claire's mother was already under arrest. There was a dead dog and a mysterious witness described as a farm woman wearing an apron, the Montreal Gazette reported. Hundreds of police and specialized civilians were scouring woods and highway ditches over a huge area, all while a flurry of dramatic social media posts preceding the disappearance showed the erratic mother variously upset, sad and angry . This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. It was Sunday morning, Father's Day, around 9:45, when Claire was last seen in Montreal, with her mother in the LaSalle borough, where they reside. Something distressing happened at some point in the next few hours. News that tiny Claire was missing was revealed about six hours later when her mother, Rachel Todd, 34, stopped her SUV at a roadside fireworks and souvenir store about 55 kilometres west of where Claire was last seen. Police said she told an employee she had lost her child and didn't know where she was. An employee told CBC the woman ran into the store in a panic and said she couldn't remember what happened. The mother's 3:30 p.m. statement at the store on St-Emmanuel Rd. in Coteau-du-Lac triggered a police investigation that quickly grew to a large search growing incrementally in scope and seriousness. Essential reading for hockey fans who eat, sleep, Canucks, repeat. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Five hours later, the Sûreté du Québec, the province's provincial police force, issued a public alert announcing Claire was missing. Police included a photo of the girl, with her brown curly hair, kneeling outdoors while drawing on an easel, a coloured marker gripped in each of her hands. She is described as three feet tall, wearing a white long-sleeved shirt with a red collar, grey pants and no shoes. 'Loved ones,' the release said in French, 'have reason to fear for her health and safety.' 'Our specialist teams are currently deployed across various sectors to carry out intensive research,' the police added on X two hours later. 'All necessary resources are being mobilized to find the child as quickly as possible.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. A bus of school kids cheer as they go by a police command post west of Montreal and learn toddler Claire Bell was found alive, June 18, 2025.. Photo by Allen McInnis/Postmedia The search for Claire continued for days, stretching from an apartment in Montreal, believed to be where Todd lived, west through rural terrain and highways and into Ontario. On Monday afternoon, the search took a darker tone when a dog matching the description of Claire's pet, Hazel, a Chihuahua, was found dead in a Montreal suburb near Highway 30, which is a direct route between Montreal and the fireworks shop. The cause of the dog's death has not been released. Police asked the public for information from anyone who might have seen a grey 2007 Ford Escape with licence plate number K5O FVE on Sunday. The vehicle has a yellow 'baby on board' sticker on the rear windshield. Hours before Claire's disappearance, she appeared with her mother in an alarming selfie video posted online on TikTok. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Speaking English, through gritted teeth, staring intently into the camera and holding Claire tight to her chest, Todd spoke one line: 'You try that again, and this is going to get ugly.' The video has text overtop saying 'I know more than you think' and underneath, it is captioned: 'Have you come up against a mother with nothing to lose????' followed by five hashtags: #motherhood #threat #energywork #narcissist #magic. A video posted to TikTok on Sunday, June 15, shows Rachel Todd holding her daughter Claire Bell, and a cryptic message. The context of the video is not known, and police did not comment on it, but the social media account where it is posted has been reported to investigators. The video, like many others on her TikTok feed, are now accompanied by comments from viewers about the case, including 'Where is Claire?' 'Where's your daughter?' 'Dieu voit tout' (God sees everything), and 'Dit aux policiers où se trouve ta fill' (Tell the police where your daughter is). Many commenters speculated on what might have happened, little of it pleasant. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Older videos on the same account include Todd discussing personal struggles. One video, posted a week ago, has text over top that asks 'Does anyone know where trauma meets reality?' In it, she says: 'After a year and a half of survival mode, six months of investigation, and an entire life burnt to the ground, my nervous system can finally feel safe with just existing, again, so that's a relief. I'm a little disappointed I wasn't able to manifest more clarity as to why an environment that felt so safe to me for my entire adult life suddenly became a threat. But it's a relief to know that I'm not entirely nuts, so, baby steps.' Police were concerned with what they learned. The Journal de Montréal reported Todd did not take her cell phone with her when she left, meaning police could not use it to backtrace her movements. She also allegedly left her apartment through an emergency door which was not covered by a surveillance camera. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Late on Monday, Todd had a lengthy interview with police and was arrested and charged with child abandonment. The allegations do not accuse her of purposely harming Claire but allege she abandoned the child, which put her health in danger. On Tuesday she appeared in court through a video link from a police station where she was being held. The hearing was short. The Crown opposed her release because of the seriousness of the charge and the unresolved search for Claire. Todd wore a red shirt with a grey blanket over her shoulder. She said little but nodded as the judge explained the proceedings and what was to follow. 'For now, we don't know what happened to the little girl, for now we have the police officers still investigating,' Crown prosecutor Lili Prévost-Gravel told reporters afterwards. 'So, we want to make sure nothing more tragic is going on.' Todd has no prior criminal convictions. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. A police search of her cell phone, according to Journal de Montréal, suggested someone used it to search for children's urns and funeral arrangements. It was heartbreaking news. Todd recently worked in the restaurant industry. Colleagues at a restaurant she worked for said she left about two weeks ago but declined to say why. Family and friends said police have asked them not to talk publicly about the case. 'We just want her home,' a family friend told Postmedia when asked about Claire. Claire's father, Matthew Bell, had not spoken publicly about the case but was posting online messages asking for the public's help in finding Claire. He is described as a 35-year-old professional chef, suggesting he and Todd might have met through their involvement in the food industry. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Police search for missing 3-year-old Claire Bell at an old sand pit near St-Télesphore, west of Montreal, on Wednesday, June 18, 2025. The girl was found by a drone in Ontario the same day. Photo by Allen McInnis/Postmedia According to Bell's Facebook profile, the two were engaged in 2021, although recent TikTok posts by Todd suggest they might have since separated. That, along with the apparent vitriol in Todd's videos helped fuel speculation over a parental feud. One message Bell posted said: 'Claire is still missing. Three years old. Very timid and quiet. Any and all information is needed.' On Wednesday, provincial police gave a glimpse into something they say took place in the six-hour gap between Claire being seen at her apartment and her mother's report that she was missing, but rather than solving mysteries it creates new ones. Investigators said they were looking for a woman described as an important witness in the disappearance. Police wanted to speak to a woman who lives on a farm either in the Montérégie region or in Ontario who speaks English and French and was wearing an apron with the word 'Abondance' on it, which is the French word for abundance. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Officers said the woman met the missing girl's mother on Sunday prior to the mother reporting Claire missing. That offered hope, with an idea that perhaps the mother passed Claire to her before reporting her missing. Perhaps she was hiding Claire. Late Wednesday afternoon came an enormous development: Police said that Claire was seen alive with her mother in eastern Ontario before she was reported missing. Sgt. Eloise Cossette said Claire was spotted around 2 p.m. in the region around Casselman and St-Albert municipalities in Ontario, which is about 100 kilometres — an hour's drive — from the fireworks store. The timing of the sighting would have given Todd time to backtrack to the fireworks store to make her report. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. That shifted police attention. Sure enough, the police announced Claire had been found alive. She was discovered by drones near Highway 417 by Ontario Provincial Police at 3:06 p.m. 'It is the best scenario we could have imagined,' Cossette told reporters Wednesday afternoon. 'She's been found, she's alive, she is conscious.' The OPP said she is being examined by medical personnel as a precaution. The girl's father posted a message on Instagram following the news. He wrote: 'Thank you everyone. Please allow me and my family to take this time for with our girl.' National Post with reporting by Harry North and Kalina Laframboise, Montreal Gazette Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here. Vancouver Canucks Vancouver Canucks BC Lions Local News Politics
Vancouver Sun
2 days ago
- Vancouver Sun
Missing Quebec girl, 3, found safe after bizarre disappearance that led to charge against mother
The Father's Day disappearance of three-year-old Claire Bell was bizarre from the start, and as the frantic search for the missing Montreal girl stretched into its fourth day the escalating strangeness of the case was pointing to a dark ending. But then came joyful news. Claire had been found alive. The missing girl was found by police in eastern Ontario, about 150 kilometres from her home in Montreal, on Wednesday afternoon. She was found in the St-Albert region after a strange and shifting investigation and large, intensive ground and air search. As the news broke, some signs pointed to a parental dispute, perhaps designed to coincide with Father's Day or perhaps fuelled by other concerns and desperation. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. The case had galvanized the public. Claire's mother was already under arrest. There was a dead dog and a mysterious witness described as a farm woman wearing an apron, the Montreal Gazette reported . Hundreds of police and specialized civilians were scouring woods and highway ditches over a huge area, all while a flurry of dramatic social media posts preceding the disappearance showed the erratic mother variously upset, sad and angry . It was Sunday morning, Father's Day, around 9:45, when Claire was last seen in Montreal, with her mother in the LaSalle borough, where they reside. Something distressing happened at some point in the next few hours. News that tiny Claire was missing was revealed about six hours later when her mother, Rachel Todd, 34, stopped her SUV at a roadside fireworks and souvenir store about 55 kilometres west of where Claire was last seen. Police said she told an employee she had lost her child and didn't know where she was. An employee told CBC the woman ran into the store in a panic and said she couldn't remember what happened. The mother's 3:30 p.m. statement at the store on St-Emmanuel Rd. in Coteau-du-Lac triggered a police investigation that quickly grew to a large search growing incrementally in scope and seriousness. Five hours later, the Sûreté du Québec, the province's provincial police force, issued a public alert announcing Claire was missing. Police included a photo of the girl, with her brown curly hair, kneeling outdoors while drawing on an easel, a coloured marker gripped in each of her hands. She is described as three feet tall, wearing a white long-sleeved shirt with a red collar, grey pants and no shoes. 'Loved ones,' the release said in French, 'have reason to fear for her health and safety.' 'Our specialist teams are currently deployed across various sectors to carry out intensive research,' the police added on X two hours later. 'All necessary resources are being mobilized to find the child as quickly as possible.' #disparition de Claire Bell 3 ans, de LaSalle, vue pour la dernière fois hier vers 11h00 dans le secteur du boul. Newman, LaSalle. Nous ignorons où elle pourrait se trouver. *Il n'y pas d'Alerte Amber car les critères ne sont pas rencontrés* The search for Claire continued for days, stretching from an apartment in Montreal, believed to be where Todd lived, west through rural terrain and highways and into Ontario. On Monday afternoon, the search took a darker tone when a dog matching the description of Claire's pet, Hazel, a Chihuahua, was found dead in a Montreal suburb near Highway 30, which is a direct route between Montreal and the fireworks shop. The cause of the dog's death has not been released. Police asked the public for information from anyone who might have seen a grey 2007 Ford Escape with licence plate number K5O FVE on Sunday. The vehicle has a yellow 'baby on board' sticker on the rear windshield. Hours before Claire's disappearance, she appeared with her mother in an alarming selfie video posted online on TikTok. Speaking English, through gritted teeth, staring intently into the camera and holding Claire tight to her chest, Todd spoke one line: 'You try that again, and this is going to get ugly.' The video has text overtop saying 'I know more than you think' and underneath, it is captioned: 'Have you come up against a mother with nothing to lose????' followed by five hashtags: #motherhood #threat #energywork #narcissist #magic. The context of the video is not known, and police did not comment on it, but the social media account where it is posted has been reported to investigators. The video, like many others on her TikTok feed, are now accompanied by comments from viewers about the case, including 'Where is Claire?' 'Where's your daughter?' 'Dieu voit tout' (God sees everything), and 'Dit aux policiers où se trouve ta fill' (Tell the police where your daughter is). Many commenters speculated on what might have happened, little of it pleasant. Older videos on the same account include Todd discussing personal struggles. One video, posted a week ago, has text over top that asks 'Does anyone know where trauma meets reality?' In it, she says: 'After a year and a half of survival mode, six months of investigation, and an entire life burnt to the ground, my nervous system can finally feel safe with just existing, again, so that's a relief. I'm a little disappointed I wasn't able to manifest more clarity as to why an environment that felt so safe to me for my entire adult life suddenly became a threat. But it's a relief to know that I'm not entirely nuts, so, baby steps.' Police were concerned with what they learned. The Journal de Montréal reported Todd did not take her cell phone with her when she left, meaning police could not use it to backtrace her movements. She also allegedly left her apartment through an emergency door which was not covered by a surveillance camera. Late on Monday, Todd had a lengthy interview with police and was arrested and charged with child abandonment. The allegations do not accuse her of purposely harming Claire but allege she abandoned the child, which put her health in danger. On Tuesday she appeared in court through a video link from a police station where she was being held. The hearing was short. The Crown opposed her release because of the seriousness of the charge and the unresolved search for Claire. Todd wore a red shirt with a grey blanket over her shoulder. She said little but nodded as the judge explained the proceedings and what was to follow. 'For now, we don't know what happened to the little girl, for now we have the police officers still investigating,' Crown prosecutor Lili Prévost-Gravel told reporters afterwards. 'So, we want to make sure nothing more tragic is going on.' Todd has no prior criminal convictions. A police search of her cell phone, according to Journal de Montréal, suggested someone used it to search for children's urns and funeral arrangements. It was heartbreaking news. Todd recently worked in the restaurant industry. Colleagues at a restaurant she worked for said she left about two weeks ago but declined to say why. Family and friends said police have asked them not to talk publicly about the case. 'We just want her home,' a family friend told Postmedia when asked about Claire. Claire's father, Matthew Bell, had not spoken publicly about the case but was posting online messages asking for the public's help in finding Claire. He is described as a 35-year-old professional chef, suggesting he and Todd might have met through their involvement in the food industry. According to Bell's Facebook profile, the two were engaged in 2021, although recent TikTok posts by Todd suggest they might have since separated. That, along with the apparent vitriol in Todd's videos helped fuel speculation over a parental feud. One message Bell posted said: 'Claire is still missing. Three years old. Very timid and quiet. Any and all information is needed.' On Wednesday, provincial police gave a glimpse into something they say took place in the six-hour gap between Claire being seen at her apartment and her mother's report that she was missing, but rather than solving mysteries it creates new ones. Investigators said they were looking for a woman described as an important witness in the disappearance. Police wanted to speak to a woman who lives on a farm either in the Montérégie region or in Ontario who speaks English and French and was wearing an apron with the word 'Abondance' on it, which is the French word for abundance. Officers said the woman met the missing girl's mother on Sunday prior to the mother reporting Claire missing. That offered hope, with an idea that perhaps the mother passed Claire to her before reporting her missing. Perhaps she was hiding Claire. Late Wednesday afternoon came an enormous development: Police said that Claire was seen alive with her mother in eastern Ontario before she was reported missing. Sgt. Eloise Cossette said Claire was spotted around 2 p.m. in the region around Casselman and St-Albert municipalities in Ontario, which is about 100 kilometres — an hour's drive — from the fireworks store. The timing of the sighting would have given Todd time to backtrack to the fireworks store to make her report. That shifted police attention. Sure enough, the police announced Claire had been found alive. She was discovered by drones near Highway 417 by Ontario Provincial Police at 3:06 p.m. 'It is the best scenario we could have imagined,' Cossette told reporters Wednesday afternoon. 'She's been found, she's alive, she is conscious.' The OPP said she is being examined by medical personnel as a precaution. The girl's father posted a message on Instagram following the news. He wrote: 'Thank you everyone. Please allow me and my family to take this time for with our girl.' National Post with reporting by Harry North and Kalina Laframboise, Montreal Gazette Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here .
