From: jcs
Initial Disappearance and Investigation
On April 8, 2009, at 3:25 p.m., the dismissal bell rang at Oliver Stevens School in Woodstock, Ontario [00:00:03]. Eight-year-old Tori Stafford was seen leaving two minutes later than other students, as she had gone back inside to retrieve her mother’s butterfly earrings [00:00:16]. Tori never returned home that Wednesday afternoon [00:00:25]. She was reported missing by her grandmother at 6:04 p.m., leading to the immediate launch of a missing-persons investigation [00:00:28].
Discovery of Surveillance Footage and Public Description
Approximately seven hours after Tori was reported missing, surveillance footage from a local high school was discovered [00:00:35]. This footage captured what police identified as the missing child walking side-by-side with an unidentified woman [00:00:40]. Tori did not appear to be struggling in the video [00:00:44]. The woman was described as being between 19 and 25 years old, white, 5 foot 2 inches tall, weighing about 125 pounds, and having a black ponytail [00:00:47].
Public Appeals and Community Response
Following the discovery of the footage, local police made a public appeal for the woman in the video to come forward [00:00:55]. Tori’s grandparents offered a $10,000 reward for her return [00:00:58]. A Facebook group dedicated to finding Tori quickly gained over 20,000 followers in less than 24 hours [00:01:03].
On April 12, four days after Tori’s disappearance, hundreds gathered in Woodstock at 8 p.m. to hold a vigil [00:01:07]. During this time, Tori’s mother made a tearful televised appeal for her daughter’s return [00:01:14].
Progression of the Investigation
Over the week following her disappearance, Tori’s parents were interviewed by investigators and each passed a polygraph test [00:01:19]. Six days after the child’s disappearance, police called off ground searches due to a lack of clues or leads [00:01:24]. The day after, “America’s Most Wanted” featured Tori’s case as its top story [00:01:29].
On April 17, the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) took the lead in the investigation, and ground searches recommenced [00:01:34]. The case was officially reclassified from a missing person to an abduction [00:01:41]. As part of an intensified media campaign, a composite sketch of the woman from the surveillance video was released and widely circulated on social media and local news outlets [00:01:44].
On May 19, police obtained information identifying the woman as 18-year-old Terri-Lynne McClintock, who was already in custody for a previous drug violation [00:01:54]. McClintock was transferred to the Ontario Police Headquarters for interview [00:02:03].