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CTV News
20 hours ago
- CTV News
Witness who encountered mom of missing Montreal toddler speaks out
Claire Bell, 3, seen here moments after being found following a four-day search. (Source: Courtesy/Noovo Info) The mother of a three-year-old Montreal girl who was found alive after going missing for four days pulled up to a farm in eastern Ontario the day she reported her daughter missing and was 'confused' and 'rambling,' according to witnesses. Noovo Info spoke with one of them, who called 911 after later learning that the toddler was the subject of a vast search operation spanning two provinces. The witness and his mother encountered the girl's mother, 34-year-old Rachel-Ella Todd, Sunday when she drove up to their farm in St. Albert, Ont. and acted in a strange manner, he said. The witness spoke to Noovo Info on the condition of anonymity because of recent criticism of his family in recent days on social media. Their farm is about two kilometres from the location where the missing child was found Wednesday afternoon alone on the side of Highway 417 after being spotted by an Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) drone. The witness said he didn't pay much attention to the mother's behaviour, adding that he sometimes encounters 'odd people.' It was only several days later — Wednesday morning — that the witness contacted police after seeing a post circulating on Facebook about the missing child and her mother. 'We don't spend our days in front of the television,' he said in an interview. missing montreal girl People gather to watch police from the Ontario Provincial Police and Surete du Quebec brief the media on the discovery of a three-year-old girl after she went missing on Sunday, in St. Albert, Ont., Wednesday, June 18, 2025. (Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press) (Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press) Police announced Wednesday morning that they had spoken to a farmer, describing her as an important witness in the case. That interview with police was crucial in officers finding the child on the side the highway hours later. 'There should have been an Amber Alert,' witness says The witness said Thursday that authorities should have issued an Amber Alert to help locate the child sooner. 'There should have been an Amber Alert for Quebec and Ontario. We would have acted much faster! We don't care about the criteria, they should have issued it,' he said. SQ search missing girl Quebec provincial police officers seen during a search for a missing three-year-old girl, who was found in Ontario on June 19, 2025. (CTV News) There have been several comments on social media about his and his mother's involvement in the case, he said, with some calling him a hero, while others argue he didn't act quickly enough. He emphasizes, however, that the important thing for him and his mother is that the child was found safe and sound. Quebec provincial police have previously said the case didn't warrant an Amber Alert since it does not meet the necessary criteria of suspected abduction. An Amber Alert is only issued when all three of the following criteria are met: The police have reason to believe that the missing child (someone under 18 years of age) has been abducted; The police have reason to believe that the physical safety or the life of the child is in serious danger; The police have information that may help locate the child, the suspect and/or the suspect's vehicle. Capt. Benoit Richard of the Sûreté du Québec (SQ) said in an interview Thursday that after reviewing every aspect of the child's disappearance, an Amber Alert was not the right call. 'The criteria was not met,' he said, adding that there was a lot of information already being shared in the news media, which ultimately led police to the girl in Ontario. Police believe child was alone the entire time According the investigation, investigators believe the young child was dropped off on the side of the road and left there, leaving police — and the public — wondering how she managed to survive with no food or water. 'For somebody that's been missing like that, a young child, a three-year-old, it's my first time, and I've been on the force for 32 years,' Richard said. Benoit Richard Captain Benoit Richard of the Surete du Quebec speaks to media after a three-year-old girl was found alive, in St. Albert, Ont., Wednesday, June 18, 2025. (Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press) When the officer rescued her on Highway 417, he handed her pieces of mango and some Gatorade he had packed for himself to snack on during the search as it entered its fourth day Wednesday. 'She's still in the hospital. She's with her family. She's doing well, considering that she's been three days outside. She's dehydrated, but she's doing fine,' Richard said about the girl. The investigation is ongoing and police could recommend the Crown lay additional charges against the mother, but for now, police are still just 'ecstatic' and relieved that the toddler was found safe and sound after everything she went through. Highway 417 Highway 417 in Ontario, where a three-year-old girl who went missing last Sunday was found on Wednesday afternoon. (Source: Noovo Info) After she was found, search crews were clapping and giving each other high-fives, as passersby honked their horns on the side of the road to salute the police's work. The case 'had everybody in Quebec rooting for us, and everybody's happy, and everybody thinks that we made something good happen,' Richard added. Comments made by the mother the day she reported her daughter missing had raised heightened concerns about the girl's wellbeing. A video published on the mother's TikTok account on Sunday shows her holding her daughter in her arms, visibly angry. 'You try that again and this is going to get ugly,' Todd says in the video as her daughter looks into the camera. The caption on the video says, 'Have you come up against a mother with nothing to lose????' It's not clear who her remarks were directed at. 'It's almost a miracle' girl was found A day after the toddler was rescued, many were still praising the work of police officers on both sides of the border, including Nancy Duncan, director of operations at the Missing Children's Network. 'The fact that we got this outcome after four days is — I want to almost say it's almost a miracle. We were ecstatic, and it's what we all hoped for,' she said in an interview Thursday. Nancy Duncan Nancy Duncan, director of operations at the Missing Children's Network. (CTV News) More than 150 police officers from the SQ and the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) were part of the search involving helicopters, drones and ground search crews across a vast area spanning two provinces. Duncan, who has been at the network for 20 years, said the police's efforts were nothing short of 'extraordinary.' 'It's hard. It's not something that everybody can do, and they have a certain sense of empathy in keeping the family as the priority, and the child, so it's quite nice to see,' she said in an interview. The girl's father, Matthew Bell, reacted on Instagram Wednesday night, thanking those who helped find his daughter. 'Thank you for everyone's help. [sic] Please allow me and my family to take this time with our girl,' he posted. While the young girl recovers from the ordeal, her mother remains behind bars after being charged with child abandonment. She is scheduled to return to court Friday to set a date for a bail hearing, likely next week. With files from CTV News' Rob Lurie and Noovo Info
Yahoo
21 hours ago
- Yahoo
Claire Bell said 'mom told me to wait' after Quebec toddler 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. 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 about 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 Missing Quebec girl, 3, found safe after bizarre disappearance that led to charge against mother Dehydration posed gravest danger to Claire Bell, search coordinator says 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.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Claire Bell said 'mom told me to wait' after Quebec toddler 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. 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 about 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 Missing Quebec girl, 3, found safe after bizarre disappearance that led to charge against mother Dehydration posed gravest danger to Claire Bell, search coordinator says 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.
CTV News
a day ago
- CTV News
Quebec police say three-year-old missing girl found in Ontario needs rest, privacy
Capt. Benoit Richard of the Quebec provincial police speaks to media after a three-year-old missing for four days was found alive, in St. Albert, Ont., Wednesday, June 18, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christopher Katsarov MONTREAL — Police are asking the public to stop sharing the name and photo of the three-year-old Montreal girl found in Ontario after going missing for four days. Quebec provincial police say citizens were instrumental in the search for the missing child, who was allegedly abandoned by her mother near Casselman, Ont., on Sunday afternoon. She was spotted on Wednesday by an Ontario Provincial Police drone along Highway 417, about 120 kilometres southwest of her Montreal home. Police say the girl has been through a difficult ordeal and needs to rest — and regain her anonymity. Quebec provincial police say their social media posts and video updates about the search for the girl were widely shared and viewed millions of times. The girl's 34-year-old mother, Rachel-Ella Todd, has been charged with unlawful abandonment of a child and returns to court on Friday.
Globe and Mail
2 days ago
- Globe and Mail
Missing three-year-old Montreal girl found alive in Ontario, Quebec police say
A three-year-old Montreal girl reported missing on Sunday by her mother was found alive in eastern Ontario on Wednesday afternoon, minutes after her mother appeared in court while facing charges of child abandonment. The Sûreté du Québec and Ontario Provincial Police confirmed in a Wednesday evening press conference that the girl was found around 3 p.m. along Highway 417, near St. Albert, Ont. She was alone but conscious and able to speak with officers, and is now doing 'well' after being examined by a medical team in hospital, OPP Staff Sergeant Shaun Cameron said. Ontario police used a drone to spot the little girl after receiving reports that she and her mother, 34-year-old Rachel-Ella Todd, were seen earlier in nearby Casselman, Ont. on Sunday. Officers following the drone reached the girl soon after. It was a moment of elation for the forces who had been searching tirelessly since Sunday. Around 150 Sûreté du Québec officers, as well as trained volunteers, were combing the Montérégie region, near where Ms. Todd walked into a souvenir store on Sunday afternoon and told employees she had lost her daughter. 'This is why we become police,' Staff Sgt. Cameron said. Many questions remain about the circumstances around the girl's alleged abandonment and whether she has been on her own since Sunday afternoon, but police declined to comment on an active investigation. Ms. Todd remained in custody Wednesday after appearing in a court in Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, Que., wearing a purple T-shirt and handcuffs on her hands and feet. She was arrested on Monday and charged with unlawful abandonment of a child. Prosecutors have objected to her release on the grounds that she poses a danger to the public. Because evidence continues to come in, a possible bail hearing won't be discussed until her next court date on Friday. The accused does not have a criminal record. The alleged offence took place Sunday in Quebec or Ontario, according to the charging document. Shortly before, Ms. Todd posted a disturbing TikTok video while holding the girl: 'You try that again, and this is going to get ugly,' she said, visibly angry. A caption read, 'Have you ever faced a mother who has nothing left to lose?' It is not clear who she is addressing. Police have since found the remains of a dog believed to have been with the girl when she went missing, near the store where her mother reported the disappearance. Police had been on the lookout for a long-haired chihuahua with reddish-brown fur. Police have released video of Ms. Todd's 2007 grey Ford Escape, with a 'Baby on Board' sticker on the right passenger-side corner of the rear window. Anyone who might have seen the vehicle between 9:45 a.m. and 3 p.m. Sunday is asked to come forward. Before the sighting of the girl in Ontario, she had been last seen at 9:45 a.m. on Sunday in their apartment building in LaSalle. The girl's father, Matthew Bell, 35, had shared pleas on social media for the public to help find his daughter. The professional chef did not respond to a request for comment on Wednesday but posted a message of gratitude online. 'She has been found!!!' Mr. Bell wrote on Instagram. 'Thank you to everyone… Please allow me and my family to take this time with our girl.' Crown prosecutor Lili Prévost-Gravel said some members of Ms. Todd's family were listening to Wednesday's hearing online. Ms. Prévost-Gravel, asked in a scrum after the hearing whether she still believed Ms. Todd posed a danger to the public, said, 'Yes, for sure,' adding that she could not explain why because the evidence was protected. 'It's hard for a mother to work on that kind of case, but we have to do our job and keep the public safe,' she said. The fact that the girl had been found alive was greeted with relief across Quebec. Premier François Legault called it 'beautiful news.' With reports from The Canadian Press
