Top stories of the week: Victim’s family pursues legal action, arrest made in Baby Parker investigation, and mismatched PA days

Family of woman who died in Highway 8 flyover crash pursuing legal action

Nearly a month after a woman died when her vehicle veered off a flyover ramp in Kitchener, her family is still searching for answers and accountability.

Uyen Nguyen, 38, was on her way to work at Toyota in Cambridge on Jan. 26 around 7:30 a.m. As she drove over the flyover ramp to go east on Highway 8 her SUV lost control and hit snow and ice that had been pushed against the barrier by plows.

The vehicle went over the guardrail and fell to the road below.

Nguyen’s vehicle landed on its roof and she did not survive.

On that day, Nguyen’s was the second vehicle to go over the guardrail on the Highway 8 flyover. A few hours earlier, a taxi also launched over the guardrail and landed on its roof, however that driver only sustained minor injuries.

The road was closed for several hours for the investigation and clean-up. Nguyen’s crash happened not long after the highway reopened.

Nguyen’s brother described his sister as kind, compassionate and outgoing.

“She played a big role, basically raising us from a young age. She went through the hardest time. She immigrated here with my mom and my dad,” Henry said.

Henry believes the piled snow played a major role in Uyen’s crash and, ultimately, her death.

The day after the crash, the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) defended the decision to reopen the road after a previous crash that saw a vehicle launch off the ramp. They said a consultation with the Ministry of Transportation led to the reopening of the road.

“The road conditions were in good shape,” OPP Sgt. Kerry Schmidt said. “There was obviously snow on the shoulder — I don’t think it would be reasonable to shut down a ramp when it’s a perfectly good, plowed, salted ramp. Even after the snow system, the plows are going through there, they’re pushing the snow off of the travel lanes to get those lanes open, which is exactly what we need.”

Police did not blame the condition of the road for the crash.

The Nguyen family is pursuing legal action and have retained a lawyer.

“There’s a lot of unanswered questions,” said personal injury lawyer Nick de Koning, who is involved in the family’s case. “The obvious big concern is the accumulation of snow along the side, close to the guardrails of the overpass that lead to a situation where a person could ramp up and go over the edge. That’s completely abnormal, a completely unusual situation.”

De Koning said they are still in the preliminary stage and are gathering information and are hopeful anyone with information will get in touch.

Father and daughter in Guelph, Ont., mistakenly caught up in human trafficking investigation

When a father and daughter stopped at a coffee shop in Guelph, Ont., they never could have predicted their trip would end with a manhunt prompted by mistaken human trafficking concerns.

Jonathan Puddle and his daughter Emmi went to the café on Feb. 18, 2026. Soon after, an image of the pair, taken from a security camera and shared online by the Guelph Police Service, was seen by tens of thousands of people as investigators tried to track down the duo.

Puddle told CTV News that, at the time, there was nothing unusual about their visit.

“We sat down just over there and had our snacks and chatted about nonsense,” he recalled. “Then we went out and got in the van, thinking nothing of it.”

As Puddle and his daughter prepared to drive off, someone knocked on their window.

A young man and his girlfriend, who had been inside the coffee shop, were trying to get the pair’s attention.

“He said, ‘Can you explain how you’re related to her?’ I said, ‘Yeah, this is my daughter,’” Puddle said.

The man who questioned Puddle, who later identified himself as Logan, said he was trying to get a good look at Emmi during the interaction to see if she was in danger.

“She didn’t really help much because she just kind of clammed up and didn’t really say anything to [Logan],” Puddle said.

“I had no idea what they were talking about. I didn’t hear a single thing,” Emmi told CTV News.

Puddle said he understood the man was concerned about Emmi’s wellbeing and once again confirmed she was his daughter.

Logan, for his part, said the conversation he overheard in the café unnerved him because it sounded as though Puddle and Emmi didn’t know each other and he believed Emmi was possibly a victim of human trafficking.

“I was still iffy on it,” he recalled. “That was when I decided to call it in just to be safe than sorry, because I know it’s a serious issue.”

Investigators with the Guelph Police Service also took those concerns seriously.

“We did begin an investigation in an attempt to locate and identify those parties,” Scott Tracey, media relations coordinator with the Guelph Police Service, confirmed.

They then shared a picture of Puddle and his daughter, which began making the rounds on social media.

“We start getting a flurry of text messages two days ago, and see our photo, and the Guelph Police Service is looking to get in contact with us,” Puddle said.

He then reached out to the police to explain the situation.

“Very quickly the involved man called the police and offered the clarification in terms of what was happening, which we were satisfied with and found no grounds to continue the investigation any further,” Tracey said.

As a father, Puddle was grateful the couple went out of their way to ensure his teenaged daughter was safe.

“If one of my children was missing, I would tear the world apart to find them. I would hope that every person was vigilant, had their eyes open.”

DNA helps police identify mother of Baby Parker, a newborn baby found dead in 2005

A woman, believed to be Baby Parker’s mother, has been identified almost 21 years after the newborn’s remains were discovered along a trail in Brantford, Ont.

On July 28, 2005, a woman was walking her dog near Dufferin Avenue and Parkside Drive when she spotted the body of a full-term baby wrapped in a towel.

The next day, a neighbour found a “bloodied object” in his backyard. It was later determined to be a placenta, which was eventually linked, through DNA, to the newborn.

An autopsy found trauma to the child’s ribs and skull, but the medical examiner could not determine what had happened to him.

The original investigating officer named the infant Baby Parker, a moniker derived from his proximity to Parkside Drive.

One week after the gruesome discovery, an anonymous note was sent to the Brantford Police Service’s station, allegedly from the child’s mother. She claimed she hid the pregnancy and wasn’t sure who the father was.

Over two decades later, police said they were able to identify the woman believed to be Baby Parker’s mother with help from the Toronto Police Service and using new DNA technology.

“To protect the integrity of the investigation, and as the matter is now before the courts, the Brantford Police Service will not be providing further comment regarding investigative techniques or evidentiary details,” they said in media release.

The 39-year-old woman was arrested in Brantford on Feb. 26 and charged with indignity to a body and concealing the body of a child.

“Given the sensitive nature of this investigation, and in consideration of privacy interests and the ongoing judicial process, the name of the accused will not be released at this time,” the release said. “Police have no evidence to suggest that anyone else was involved during the birth of Baby Parker or in the events that followed. Investigators are not seeking any additional suspects and, at this time, do not anticipate that any further charges will be laid.”

They also have no evidence the letter they received in 2005 was actually from Baby Parker’s mother.

The father has never been identified.

Local school boards on the hook for nearly $300K due to unaligned PA days

A report being discussed by the board of trustees at the public and Catholic school boards in Waterloo, Ont., is outlining the cost when the two local school boards’ PA (professional activity) days don’t line up.

According to a report on the agenda for the Waterloo Region District School Board (WRDSB), the two boards try to align PA days when possible.

“The School Year Calendar Committee continues to make every effort to align our school year calendar between panels (elementary/ secondary) and with that of the WCDSB (Waterloo Catholic District School Board),” says the board report.

It continues to say, “However, the proposal for the 2026-2027 school year results in two (2) unaligned days and this represents an additional cost to the Board in terms of providing student transportation.”

The report says the total cost of this unalignment is $286,668 and is to be shared between the boards. The public board is expected to pay $189,756, leaving $96,912 for the Catholic board.

“We’ve really worked closely in the last five years together to try and build that trust, and ensure that we’re sharing drafts well, and lots of conversations going on,” said WCDSB’s superintendent of learning, Jennifer Ritsma, during Tuesday’s board meeting.

The school boards say due to a contract agreement with Student Transportation Services, any additional days of transportation services require an added expense.

According to a statement from the WCDSB, the inability to align schedules is due in part to exam schedules.

“WCDSB schedules five examination days at the end of each semester, while WRDSB schedules four examination days and one midterm assessment day,” reads the statement from WCDSB. “These structural differences may influence how each board positions PD (professional development) days throughout the calendar year.”

Meanwhile, a statement from the WRDSB says there are multiple factors that go into this misalignment.

“During the consultation process, there may be identified needs for specific dates to be designated as professional development days (i.e. based on organizational needs, employee federations, associations, administrators and community requests and creed accommodation dates),” says a statement shared by Scott Miller, WRDSB director of education.

During a Feb. 24 meeting, WCDSB trustees approved the 2026-2027 calendar as presented.

Both boards are required to submit their proposed schedules to the Ontario Ministry of Education for approval by March 1.

The Carpenter’s Crew: retirees offer low-cost repairs, renovations to those in need

A group of retirees from Guelph, Ont. and Wellington County are breaking down barriers for people in need of repairs and renovations.

“The Carpenter’s Crew” aims to help families and charitable organizations with big projects that often carry hefty price tags.

“We want people to feel that they’re not helpless in their situations,” said Rich Maertens, who volunteers as an outreach and marketing coordinator for the group.

The crew’s name comes from members’ faith and beliefs.

“Some of our guys believe our work is living out our faith,” said co-founder David Hartman. “And that’s where the name came from — Jesus the carpenter.”

The idea came about nearly four years ago as a way to craft a new community and give back to the one already built.

“Once guys retire, they’ve lost that sense of community with other people,” said Hartman. “One of our main purposes is to get them back involved with other men and just connecting so they’re not out there alone.”

The group has grown from six founding members to 17. They meet a couple of times a month and start mornings off with a hearty meal.

“We meet for breakfast at 7:30 a.m., socialize, get to know each other, talk, have a little friendship talk, and then break up into teams of three or four and go out into the community, do projects,” said Hartman.

The projects typically take about a day to complete and range from paint jobs to major installations. The costs of material and equipment are partially covered by the crew and crowdfunding.

“We have done a little bit of fundraising, but haven’t done a ton,” Hartman said. “But we sure would love any support we could get.”

The Carpenter’s Crew has worked on more than 200 projects with over 60 families and charities, including Royal City Mission.

“They’ve done flooring for us, and now they’re doing this trim,” said Royal City Mission executive director Kevin Coghill. “It’s a huge blessing, but we’re so thankful that they can do this for us.”

As for others looking for support, Maertens encouraged them to reach out.

“We are here, we are free, and we are quite happy to help you and meet your needs,” he said. “Quite happy to do the work.”

While the group is looking to help more families and individuals in need, clients must meet certain criteria before the project can go ahead. More information on how to apply can be found on The Carpenter Crew’s website.