Victoria Stafford was a larger than life, bubbly 8-year-old girl. Her father, Rodney Stafford, describes her as having a ‘heart of gold.’ “I still hear nothing but positive thoughts from her friends and just how she used to be,” said Stafford. “Just an overall great little friend.” Victoria was known as “Tori” to those who loved her most and now, to the world. Tori was abducted while walking home from school in Woodstock Ont., on April 8, 2009. Her body was found in a field three months later. Investigators determined she had been raped, tortured, and killed. “Her birth, 25 years ago today, holding her in my hands, vowing to protect her forever and it’s days like this that make me feel like I failed,” said Stafford. “But in some ways, it was like there was nothing we could do.” To mark what would have been Tori’s 25th birthday, her father is asking members of the public to perform random acts of kindness, in memory of his daughter. “Whether it be the loss of a child or through the courts, we continue to try to do what we can to be there for others and use Victoria’s instance as a reason why things need to change,” said Stafford. Stafford said he misses Tori everyday but knows a part of her will always be with him. “Sometimes it would be something as small as a butterfly or a song or even something someone says that reminds me of Tori and who she was,” said Stafford. Stafford expressed his gratitude for his community that has helped keep Tori’s memory alive over the past 16 years and will continue to do so forever. “If you never met her, it’s hard to explain but at the same time it’s not,” said Stafford. “She was a beautiful little girl taken far too soon.”
