A tight-knit village in eastern Ontario is shaken after learning that a teenager was charged with attempted murder and sexual assault on an eight-year-old girl in what police initially suspected to be an animal attack.
“People are never going to forget it. Probably every day of our life, it'll be in our minds,” said Wanda Resmer, secretary of the community centre in Quadeville, Ont., about 170 kilometres west of Ottawa.
Resmer felt “a sense of shock” after police announced charges against the 17-year-old suspect, who was arrested on Tuesday.
Ontario Provincial Police said they began their search for a missing child around 9 p.m. on June 23, and found her with life-threatening injuries shortly after midnight. The child remains in hospital.
“People were heartbroken and numb,” Resmer said in an interview Thursday. “What else can you be, right?”
Resmer describes Quadeville as the sort of place where “everybody knows everybody,” adding that the only thing that will help everyone in the community is time to heal.
Investigators initially said they suspected the child’s injuries were caused by an animal attack because that theory was supported by “multiple medical and pathology experts,” OPP spokesperson Bill Dickson said Thursday.
Police told community members to keep their children indoors or under close supervision, and also said the Ministry of Natural Resources put out animal traps as a “precautionary measure” in the days after the attack.
But as the investigation continued, police discovered that there were no traces of animal DNA from the victim’s wounds, Dickson said.
“Even though we did suspect it was an animal attack, we kept going because you can’t have tunnel vision,” Dickson said, adding that led investigators to finding and arresting a suspect.
Because the suspect is a minor, he cannot be named under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.
Dickson said police also won't be sharing any information about evidence in the case or the weapon that was allegedly used in the attack.
“We want people to be rest assured that we do not consider there to be any threat to public safety at this time,” Dickson said, adding that police will remain in the area to speak with residents in the ongoing investigation.
Christine Hudder, who helped her three sons organize a lemonade stand that raised $400 for the eight-year-old girl last week, said she hopes police will provide more clarity on why they initially suspected an animal attack and why families were told to keep their children indoors.
"We are from a rural town, we know what teeth marks would look like,” said Hudder, who lives about four kilometres away.
The OPP plan to hold an in-person town-hall meeting in the village on Saturday to address questions and concerns from residents.
While Resmer plans to attend, she said she doesn’t feel like she needs any answers from police.
“For me, it’s over,” Resmer said. “They did their job and that’s the end of it.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 10, 2025.
Vanessa Tiberio, The Canadian Press
