Quebec police say three-year-old missing girl found in Ontario needs rest, privacy

Capt. Benoit Richard of the Quebec provincial police speaks to media after a three-year-old missing for four days was found alive, in St. Albert, Ont., Wednesday, June 18, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christopher Katsarov

MONTREAL — Police are asking the public to stop sharing the name and photo of the three-year-old Montreal girl found in Ontario after going missing for four days.

Quebec provincial police say citizens were instrumental in the search for the missing child, who was allegedly abandoned by her mother near Casselman, Ont., on Sunday afternoon.

She was spotted on Wednesday by an Ontario Provincial Police drone along Highway 417, about 120 kilometres southwest of her Montreal home.

Police say the girl has been through a difficult ordeal and needs to rest — and regain her anonymity.

Quebec provincial police say their social media posts and video updates about the search for the girl were widely shared and viewed millions of times.

The girl’s 34-year-old mother, Rachel-Ella Todd, has been charged with unlawful abandonment of a child and returns to court on Friday.