Rest In Peace Tori

On April 8th, 2009, eight year old Victoria Stafford went missing from her school in Woodstock, Ontario, Canada.  A very brief security video clip saw the beautiful little girl holding hands with an unknown woman in a puffy white coat.  That was to be the last time that Tori was ever seen.

Massive searches happened, candle light vigils took place, and the community (and indeed the country) participated in the search to bring Tori home.

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Unfortunately however, the news took a major turn for the worse as two people were arrested.  A 28 year old male (Michael Thomas Rafferty) has been charged with kidnapping and first degree murder.  18 year old Terri-Lynne McClintic has been charged with kidnapping and being an accessory after the fact.  Tori’s body has not yet been recovered, though ongoing searches are continuing, and will continue until she is brought home to her family.

This story has absolutely broken my heart.  I don’t know if Terri-Lynne McClintic knew who she was abducting, but according to news reports she was familiar with Tori’s mother .. a connection of some sort that has yet to be clarified.  The pair were arrested in a run down house just a block away from Tori’s home.

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Police are being extremely quiet about the evidence that led to these arrests .. obviously they have something very concreted against the pair or they wouldn’t have been able to make the charge of murder.

Across the nation, Canadian’s had prayed that we were not being presented with a similar situation to the Paul Bernardo and Karla Homolka case of years ago.  To imagine that a woman, a potential mother could ever harm a child is beyond attrocious, and yet, here it is happening again.

If you’re not familiar with the Bernardo/Homolka case, the pair went on a rape and murder rampage predominantly in the city of Scarborough, Ontario (a suburb of Toronto), and my home home town.  Disgustingly, Homolka was a participant in the rape and murder of her own sister.  I was a teenager in high school during the reign of the “Scarborough Rapist”, and will never forget the night I was followed home from a local hang out.  No one will ever be able to convince me that it wasn’t Paul Bernardo who kept jumping into the shadows every time I turned around.  Thankfully I had the street smarts enough to know I was in trouble, and I made it to a friends house who then drove me home.  The police were called, the neighbourhood searched, but he wasn’t found.  Two days later, another girl was found dead within blocks of my high school, and the donut shop where we all hung out.  The girl had gone to another high school so I didn’t know her, but it shook me up badly.

Paul Bernardo & Karla Homolka

Bernardo and Homolka were convicted of the murder of two Ontario teens, Kristen French and Leslie Mahaffey .. At one point, Bernardo faced 53 charges related to the rape – and in some cases, murder – of young women.

Canada doesn’t have the death penalty.  Instead, it is us, as taxpayers that foot the bill for providing criminals with a roof over their heads and 3 meals a day .. not to mention the chance for college educations.  They call it reform.  I call it a travesty of justice.

Karla Homolka was given a “Sweetheart Deal” for her role in assisting the Crown in order to incarcerate Paul Bernardo for life.  Karla is now married, is a mother, and living a happy life that she doesn’t deserve.  Yes, I’m very bitter about this.

It was reported yesterday that Terri-Lynne McClintic is also assisting police in the search for Tori.  I’m now praying that this 18 year old animal isn’t out of prison in 5 years where she can then live the life that she denied Tori the chance of.

Please give your child a huge hug and kiss today.. God Bless Our Children, keep them safe!

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