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What we know after 3-year-old Quebec girl found alone on Ontario highway
A nerve‑racking four‑day hunt for a missing three‑year‑old girl from Quebec ended in relief on Wednesday when police located her alive in Ontario.
Claire Bell was reported missing by her mother, 34-year-old Rachel-Ella Todd, on Sunday afternoon in Coteau-du-Lac, Que., about 50 kilometres west of where she had last been seen in Montreal.
Circumstances around the girl’s disappearance were “not very clear,” authorities told reporters earlier this week, shortly before the girl’s mother was arrested and charged with unlawful abandonment of a child.
The disappearance kicked off a massive search effort that included multiple police forces, helicopters, drones, search-and-rescue volunteer teams and officers on horseback.
Search efforts began near Claire’s home in Montreal and the store where she was reported missing, before shifting to new areas as officers and the public pieced together Todd’s movements on Sunday.
Police and rescue workers search the woods beside a highway for a missing three-year-old girl in Vaudreuil-Dorion, Que., Tuesday, June 17, 2025.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi
Search parties of more than 250 people combed fields, roads and forests in the days that followed.
In a stunning turn, Bell was spotted all alone on the side of an Ontario highway on Wednesday afternoon by an Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) drone.
How the child survived alone in rural Ontario in the heat for four days remains astonishing to authorities, calling it nothing short of a miracle.
Here’s a closer look at what happened.
Police focus on the mother’s whereabouts
Todd and Bell had last been seen around 9:45 a.m. Sunday on Newman Boulevard in Montreal’s LaSalle borough.
Their whereabouts were unaccounted for until the child’s mother parked her SUV outside a store in Coteau-du-Lac — a small city in southwestern Quebec, around 3 p.m.
Authorities said Todd went inside the shop and told staff she couldn’t find her daughter.
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Todd had been driving a 2007 grey Ford Escape with a “Baby on Board” sticker in the back window and the licence plate K50 FVE.
Authorities did not issue an Amber Alert, which is triggered when a child is abducted and in imminent danger, because the case did not meet the criteria needed.
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Shortly afterwards, two critical elements of the investigation were made public: the family’s pet dog had been found dead and police described a key witness who they believed might have met the child’s mother.
In a video posted online Monday, Quebec provincial police asked people to be on the lookout for a long-haired chihuahua with reddish-brown fur, which might have been with the girl.
Later in the day they said a dog resembling that chihuahua had been found dead near the junction of Highways 20 and 30 near Montreal.
On Wednesday, police said they were looking to speak to a woman who lived and worked on a farm who they believe met the child’s mother. Police believe they met sometime on Sunday between 9:45 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., either in southwestern Quebec or Ontario.
Investigators uncover crucial lead that narrows search
A key breakthrough was uncovered on Wednesday afternoon just hours before she was found that steered the search.
Police in Quebec were able to establish that the girl and her mother had been spotted alive about 2 p.m. in the rural Casselman and St. Albert area in eastern Ontario on Sunday afternoon.
Shortly after 2 p.m., an OPP drone operator spotted the little girl sitting alone beside route 417 near St. Albert, Ont.
Sûreté du Québec Sgt. Éloïse Cossette told reporters Wednesday the girl was conscious and able to speak with officers, but there was no immediate word on her physical condition.
She received food, hydration and was taken to a nearby hospital to be examined by medical personnel as a precaution.
Officers would not comment on whose custody the girl is in, what she was wearing when she was found or how they believe she survived in the heat.
Mother charged with child abandonment
On Tuesday, Todd was arrested and charged with unlawful abandonment of a child.
Todd briefly appeared in court via video conference from a police station in Vaudreuil Tuesday before being detained at the Leclerc prison in Laval.
She looked right at the camera, nodded and seemed to understand where she was and the charge.
Crown prosecutor Lili Prévost Gravel told reporters she opposed the accused’s release due to the seriousness of the charge.
On Wednesday, Todd was handcuffed and back in court at the Salaberry-de-Valleyfield Courthouse as the judge postponed her case to Friday, at which point a decision will be taken on a bail hearing.
The Crown previously said no psych evaluation had been requested for Todd and not much was yet known about her mental state.
‘Extremely emotional as police officers’
The discovery of the missing toddler was an emotional moment for police involved in the search.
At a joint press conference with Quebec and Ontario provincial police forces in St. Albert Wednesday evening, OPP Acting Staff Sgt. Shaun Cameron said the case had deeply affected many officers.
Staff Sergeant Shaun Cameron of the Ontario Provincial Police speaks to media after three-year-old Claire Bell was found alive, in St. Albert, Ont., Wednesday, June 18, 2025.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christopher Katsarov
“Most of us are parents with kids of our own,” Cameron said. “This makes us extremely emotional as police officers.”
SQ Capt. Benoit Richard told reporters: “It’s days like this that you are reminded why you became an officer.”
Both forces thanked the search teams who worked around the clock for their efforts in finding the girl.
“Given her age, every hour mattered,” Richard said.
Richard also expressed gratitude to members of the public, emphasizing that their tips and social media posts played a crucial role in the investigation.
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 helped.
— with files from Aaron D’Andrea and The Canadian Press
TORONTO – The Toronto Blue Jays’ pitching depth is teetering — which makes it a bad time for one of their most reliable starters to be struggling.
Kevin Gausman allowed seven earned runs over 4 1/3 innings as the Blue Jays fell 9-5 against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Thursday, denying their sixth sweep of the season.
“I feel like everybody kind of did their job this series and I just didn’t,” Gausman said. “We’re playing really good right now and going for a sweep today and I go out there and do that. So I’m pretty frustrated.”
The 34-year-old gave up seven hits and three walks as his record dropped to 5-6. Manager John Schneider pulled him after he hit Diamondbacks outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr., with a pitch to load the bases with one out in the fifth inning.
Both Schneider and Gausman pointed to the righty’s command as the root of his recent struggles.
“When he’s good, he’s on the attack, he’s getting ahead of you and then he’s kind of dominating those 1-1 counts. And that hasn’t been the case,” Schneider said.
Gausman has walked 12 batters in 20 June innings compared to one in 31 innings in May. He’s now allowed 17 earned runs through 20 innings over four starts this month, a rough follow-up to a sterling May in which he went 3-1 with a 2.81 ERA.
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He said strike percentage has been “the story” of his season.
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“June’s been really ugly for me and so I need to take a deep look and figure some things out and get better. I feel like if I can get back to who I am, I think that’s the next step for this team and I hope to be a big part of it and right now I feel like I’m not doing my end,” Gausman said.
Catcher Alejandro Kirk blasted two solo home runs for Toronto (40-34), which had won the first two of the three-game interleague series. Centre fielder Jonatan Clase also added a solo shot.
The Blue Jays sit in the second wild-card position in the American League, one game back of the Tampa Bay Rays.
The Diamondbacks (37-37) climbed to .500 with the win.
Arizona’s Eugenio Suarez and Pavin Smith combined for two home runs and seven RBIs in the victory, with the slugging Suarez — who ended the game a triple away from the cycle — especially proving to be a thorn in Gausman’s side.
“He had a plan going in obviously and I think I kind of fed right into his plan just about every at-bat,” Gausman said.
The Rogers Centre roof opened about 20 minutes before the game, and Schneider mentioned windy conditions — with gusts up to 32 kilometres per hour at first pitch — as a factor in Gausman’s outing.
“I’ve pitched plenty of games windy and I kinda need to make that adjustment,” Gausman said. “My split was moving a lot today, but I just couldn’t make that adjustment to figure out how to throw it for a strike and then how to throw it for a ball.”
Gausman’s next start is likely to come next week against the Cleveland Guardians, whose 277 runs entering Thursday were fourth fewest in the American League.
Meanwhile, the Blue Jays continue to face other questions in their rotation.
After the game, Toronto announced that right-hander Spencer Turnbull would start Friday’s series opener against the Chicago White Sox. The spot would have belonged to Bowden Francis, who was recently placed on the 15-day injured list with a shoulder impingement.
Turnbull, who signed with the Blue Jays in May, has made two relief appearances for the club, allowing seven hits and one earned run in 4.1 innings.
Eric Lauer, who started and pitched five strong innings in a win Wednesday, has bounced between relief, starting and bulk roles with the team but could round out the rotation — along with Gausman, Chris Bassitt and Jose Berrios — for the time being.
Elsewhere, Max Scherzer, a three-time Cy Young Award winner, made his second rehab start with the triple-A Buffalo Bisons on Wednesday. His next game action could come at the major-league level.
Trey Yesavage, the Blue Jays’ first-round pick one year ago, recently moved up to double-A and was tied for the minor-league lead with 96 strikeouts through Wednesday’s action.
But Scherzer, who has pitched three MLB innings this season, and Yesavage, whose next MLB pitch will be his first, remain mysteries to an extent.
And so the urgency for Gausman to regain control of the strike zone and rediscover his May form is apparent.
“(Gausman’s) elite when he’s ahead in counts, and I think just not getting there has been tough for him,” Schneider said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 19, 2025.
© 2025 The Canadian Press
TORONTO – Eugenio Suarez and Pavin Smith combined to drive in seven runs as the Arizona Diamondbacks beat the Toronto Blue Jays 9-5 on Thursday.
Blue Jays starter Kevin Gausman struggled through 4 1/3 innings to take the loss, allowing seven earned runs on seven hits and three walks while striking out four.
Catcher Alejandro Kirk blasted two solo home runs for Toronto (41-34), which was denied its sixth sweep of the season after winning the first two games of the interleague series.
Suarez’s damage came early for the Diamondbacks (37-37), who climbed back to .500 with the win.
The third baseman backed up a bloop single from Canadian Josh Naylor with his 22nd home run of the season in the second inning, then struck again in the third with a two-out, two-run double. He added a single in the fifth and finished a triple away from the cycle.
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Smith, the first baseman, smashed a two-run home run in the fifth inning and drove in another run on a sacrifice fly one inning later.
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Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte and outfielder Randal Grichuk contributed one RBI apiece.
Kirk added an RBI single in the eighth as the Blue Jays briefly threatened a late comeback. Centre fielder Jonatan Clase hit his second long ball of the season to open the inning and Vladimir Guerrero Jr., pounded an RBI double three batters later, but George Springer hit into a double play to end the rally.
Gausman’s performance was a continuation of some June woes. The 34-year-old, whose record fell to 5-6, has now allowed 17 earned runs through 20 innings over four starts this month, a rough follow-up to a sterling May in which he went 3-1 with a 2.81 ERA.
Diamondbacks starter Ryne Nelson (4-2) earned the win after tossing 5.2 innings with four strikeouts and two walks. The lone hit he allowed was Kirk’s first home run.
AILING OUTFIELD
Right fielder Alan Roden was a late scratch for the Blue Jays with right knee inflammation. He was replaced by rookie Will Robertson.
Clase was back in the starting lineup and hitting ninth. He missed Wednesday’s game after he was hit by a pitch in Tuesday’s series opener.
Toronto already has three outfielders — Daulton Varsho, Anthony Santander and Nathan Lukes — on the injured list. A fourth, Myles Straw, has missed two straight games and is day-to-day with an ankle injury.
COMING UP
Toronto begins a three-game home series against the Chicago White Sox on Friday. The Blue Jays’ starting pitcher has yet to be announced, while the White Sox will send out right-hander Davis Martin (2-7, 3.79 ERA).
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 19, 2025.
© 2025 The Canadian Press
The Ontario government says it’s introducing two financial assistance programs to help municipalities and businesses recover from a severe March ice storm.
The storm in late March left nearly 400,000 homes and businesses with power outages and damaged property as freezing rain covered parts of Ontario in layers of ice.
The province says it will launch two one-time financial assistance programs to help with ice storm recovery, including one to help municipalities pay for emergency response and cleanup costs such as clearing fallen trees.
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The other program will provide up to $5 million for small businesses, small farms and not-for-profit organizations to pay for storm-related cleanup and essential repairs not covered by private insurance.
The province did not specify how much money it has set aside for the programs, but said final amounts for business assistance will be based on the number of applicants and eligible costs, while municipal funding will be based on the eligible emergency response and recovery costs.
The province says eligible businesses and municipalities will have until Oct. 31 to apply for the funding.
© 2025 The Canadian Press
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