A 17-year-old is charged with attempted murder in connection with an attack on a child in Quadeville, southeast of Barry’s Bay.
OPP said officers responded to a report of a missing child in the town on June 24, and located the eight-year-old a few hours later.
According to OPP, the child sustained life-threatening injuries and was transported to hospital and remains under care.
During the investigation, police said the cause of the injuries were unclear, and while early evidence suggested a possible animal attack, investigators did not rule out human involvement.
While the incident is still under investigation, police say recent testing of samples taken from the victim’s wounds has revealed no traces of animal DNA.
On Tuesday (July 8), the accused from eastern Ontario was arrested and charged with attempt to commit murder and sexual assault with a weapon on a person under 16 years old.
The accused is in custody, scheduled to appear at Ontario Court of Justice at a later date. OPP cannot release the name or any other details under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.
Provincial police plan to hold a townhall meeting in Quadeville on Saturday to address questions and concerns from local residents, adding more information will be shared about a time and location when available.
Anyone with information or relevant doorbell or surveillance video that could help investigators, should call the UOV OPP at 1-888-310-1122, or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or ontariocrimestoppers.ca, where you may be eligible to receive a cash reward of up to $2,000.
