Cops Hope Grainy Video Will Lead To Culprit Who Abandoned Baby In Freezing Stairwell
Thursday January 31, 2008
CityNews.ca Staff
There are so many clues and so few answers.
Who is the eight-month-old girl that was left in a lonely stairwell at a North York mall on Wednesday? Toronto Police have gone all out to try and identify the child, who wasn't dressed for the subzero conditions when she was discovered before it was too late by a shopper at the Leslie-Finch Square Mall.Cops now say she'd been there at least two hours and faced certain death if not for the lucky find.
They released her picture minutes after she was discovered, along with a still of a green car caught on security cameras seen speeding away from the area. They added a long list of her clothing 24 hours later, including her snowsuit she was wearing when she was found. (To see all the clues, view the photo gallery below.)
And now they've added yet another piece of evidence in their desperate attempt to find the parents and the people responsible. A grainy video of a figure actually abandoning the little girl has been released, and while police don't find it's of much use in identifying the guilty party, what it does display is chilling.
"It showed us a vehicle at around 10:30 in the morning driving up the ramp and on to the second storey, the top floor of the two-storey structure where there was no other vehicles around," reveals Det. Keith Moxley. "That was the green, small-size, four-door sedan, that is similar to or in fact a Ford Escort. The vehicle drove straight to where the stairwell door was.
"A person that we cannot identify at this point as being male or female exits the vehicle, quickly opens the door to check the stairwell, goes back to the vehicle which was parked steps away, opens a passenger side door and takes out what is apparently the infant, opens the door and quickly places the infant inside the stairwell. The person gets back into the driver's seat and [the car] leaves as quickly as it came."
Cops still don't know if the minor injuries the infant had came as a result of abuse or were sustained because she was left alone for so long. They're hoping someone will recognize something from the video, even though it doesn't show that much. (See it here.)
The child remains in surprisingly good condition at the Hospital for Sick Children in the custody of the Children's Aid Society, and officials there admit they've already had at least 15 calls from kindhearted people who want to adopt the charmer.
But spokesman David Rivard admits it's a bit premature to talk about that yet. "It's about a year preparation for people who are considering adopting, so we have a number of people that are waiting currently to adopt children. Certainly we'll take the names and hopefully involve these people because there are a number of children available for adoption."
Rivard agrees the case is unusual and says "that stare" depicted in the photos has haunted him for the past 24 hours.
The phones have also been ringing at Crime Stoppers and the police tip line, (416) 808-3305. There have been lots of people who think they recognize the car and some who believe they know the child. But so far, none have panned out.
Moxley agrees that's unusual when there's been so much scrutiny and publicity in the case. "I've been in the business for a few years and it is not routine. It is abnormal. I would go so far as to say it's abnormal to run into a situation where a child is left with no other supervision or adult around and no one steps forward in a short period of time."
Police were canvassing door-to-door in the neighbourhood all day, carrying pictures of the child. Residents are stunned that anyone could leave such a precious package in such a dangerous place.
"It's cruel and inhumane to think that someone would do such a despicable act. It's unbelievable," comments Enzo Cappuccitti, a construction worker at a site in the neighbourhood. "Complete shock that you would leave a child, defenceless child, especially in yesterday's weather. It's just, you know, what would go through somebody's mind?"
Area resident Lilian Odigie added, "It's strange. I don't know what could have possessed someone to do that. No matter the hardship."
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