Police issue warning to Quadeville, Ont., parents after girl hospitalized with injuries

Residents of a small village in rural eastern Ontario are reacting with uncertainty and concern after a young girl was found seriously injured in their community — under circumstances that remain unclear.

On Tuesday, Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) warned residents of Quadeville, a village located about 60 kilometres southwest of Renfrew, to keep their children indoors or under close supervision following an overnight incident that left an eight-year-old girl with serious injuries.

"Though this appears to be an isolated incident, investigators are still working to determine the cause of the child's injuries," the police force said Tuesday on social media.

Jordan Genrick, chief of the Brudenell, Lyndoch and Raglan Fire Department, told CBC on Tuesday afternoon that firefighters helped OPP officers remove the injured girl from woods in Quadeville around 12:30 a.m. Tuesday. An area of forest behind homes located on Quadeville Road was blocked off with police tape.

Renfrew Country paramedics confirmed to CBC that they provided care to the child, but did not elaborate on the nature of her injuries.

OPP said the child remains in hospital and they are "working with medical officials as part of the investigation." They warned parents to keep their kids indoors or under close watch "until the source of the victim's injuries can be determined."

"We honestly don't know what the source of the injuries was," OPP spokesperson Bill Dickson told CBC on Tuesday afternoon.

Patient transport service Ornge said in an email Tuesday afternoon it took a child patient to the children's hospital in Ottawa "with critical injuries relating to an animal attack."

Child reported missing Monday

OPP separately issued a missing persons bulletin on Monday night with photos of a child who'd last been seen around 6 p.m. at a grocery store in Quadeville. The missing child, who police said is eight years old, was later reported found.

The local fire department said on social media that "in light of the recent events in Quadeville" it would not be participating in local Canada Day festivities, including a fireworks display planned for Saturday.

"Out of respect for the family, community & our firefighters mental health, we hope you understand," the fire department wrote.

John Hodge, a resident of Quadeville for the last two years, lives near the wooded area police had cordoned off. He said OPP officers came by his home early Tuesday morning to ask about a young girl that had gone missing. 

Later on Tuesday, after a girl had been found, OPP came back to ask if Hodge spotted any wildlife in the area. 

"Hopefully she's going to be okay and this was just an isolated incident," he said. 

Other people who live in the area told CBC that police had been by their homes too to ask if they had any pets and had seen any wildlife. 

They said locals began searching for the missing child on Monday evening and that police dogs eventually found a girl. 

"Just terrible. I've been terrible all day," one resident said of how she felt Tuesday. "We live in a rural spot. You just don't expect stuff like that."

Quadeville is part of Brudenell, Lyndoch and Raglan township in Renfrew County, about 130 kilometres west of downtown Ottawa and 30 kilometres southeast of Barry's Bay.

The township had about 1,550 residents as of the 2021 census.