Teen charged with attempted murder in attack on girl in Quadeville, Ont.

A 17-year-old boy has been charged with attempted murder and sexual assault after an attack on a young girl in Quadeville, Ont., that provincial police initially said was likely caused by an animal.

The eight-year-old girl had been missing for hours when she was found around 12:30 a.m. on June 24 with potentially life-threatening injuries in the woods in the eastern Ontario village.

At the time, police said they suspected an animal attack had led to the girl's injuries.

In a news release Wednesday night, OPP said they had charged a teenage male from eastern Ontario on Tuesday with attempted murder and with sexual assault with a weapon.

Because of the accused's age, they cannot be named.

The young girl remains in hospital, OPP said Wednesday night. CBC News is not identifying the girl in order to protect her privacy.

'No traces of animal DNA'

OPP say while early evidence suggested an animal was to blame for the girl's injuries, investigators did not rule out human involvement.

The police force had been consulting both the Ministry of Natural Resources and experts in animal attacks as it delved into what had happened.

"To aid in the investigation, multiple pathology experts were consulted," spokesperson Bill Dickson wrote Wednesday. "While the incident is still under investigation, recent testing of samples taken from the victim's wounds has now revealed no traces of animal DNA."

Dickson told CBC News the teen had appeared in court Wednesday for a bail hearing.

In the wake of the attack, people in and around the small Ottawa Valley community about 60 kilometres west of Renfrew expressed concerns about their safety, with some telling CBC the lack of information was causing rumours to spread.

Dozens of local community members searched for the young girl after she was reported missing at around 9 p.m. on June 23.

After several hours, she was found in a forested area behind homes located on Quadeville Road. She was first taken to hospital in Barry's Bay before being airlifted to the CHEO children's hospital in Ottawa.

At the time, the Ornge ambulance service confirmed they had "transported a pediatric patient to CHEO with critical injuries relating to an animal attack."

Joseph Fiorentino, the pastor of Quadeville Pentecostal Church, previously told CBC that he'd been informed by a doctor that it was "a miracle she was alive."

On Thursday, OPP spokesperson Bill Dickson told CBC Radio's Ottawa Morning investigators had to keep "an open mind" about what caused the girl's injuries.

"The injuries did not look like something that would have happened involving a person. They did look very much like an animal incident, so out of due diligence we had to warn people that maybe there was some type of animal that was responsible for this," he said.

"We didn't want to cause excess panic, but yet we didn't want to underplay the potential that there could be a risk to someone else out there, so it was a tough balancing act."

Dickson could not say whether the victim and the accused knew one another.

OPP are planning to hold a town hall meeting in Quadeville on Saturday to address any questions or concerns local residents may have about the incident and the police investigation.

"This has been such a traumatic event for everyone," Dickson said.