Community in shock after suspected animal attack seriously injures young girl in Quadeville, Ont.

After a girl was attacked overnight Monday, police are now saying they believe her injuries were caused by an animal. CTV’s Dylan Dyson reports.

An Ottawa Valley community remains in shock after a suspected animal attack left a young girl with potentially life-threatening injuries earlier this week.

Officers responded to reports that a child had been found at 12:30 a.m. Tuesday along Quadeville Road in Quadeville, southeast of Barry’s Bay in the Township of Brundell, Lyndoch and Raglan.

“The child was transported to hospital and later to a regional trauma centre and is recovering from the injuries,” police said in a media release Wednesday morning.

“While investigators suspect this to have been an animal attack, further testing and analysis is required.”

The OPP initially said Tuesday that the child suffered serious injuries for unknown reasons, and an investigation was underway.

Parents in the Quadeville area are being urged to keep their children indoors or under close supervision, as a precaution.

The air ambulance service Ornge said in an email to CTV News Ottawa that it transported a child patient to CHEO with critical injuries “relating to reports of an animal attack.”

The Renfrew Paramedic Service says they cared for an eight-year-old girl suffering from “multiple life-threatening traumatic injuries.”

The OPP initially said Tuesday that the child suffered serious injuries for unknown reasons, and an investigation was underway.

“Though this appears to be an isolated incident, investigators are still working to determine the cause of the child’s injuries,” OPP East Region said in a post to X Tuesday afternoon.

There have been no other reported incidents in the area, said OPP spokesperson Bill Dickson in an email.

Residents stunned as speculation grows

Locals say the young girl is well-known in the community, prompting questions and online speculation over what caused her injuries.

Some who spoke to CTV News Ottawa say she was found during the night near a former sawmill in a heavily forested area. Police tape surrounds the scene as of Wednesday.

“People want to know, when are we going to be safe again to allow our children to out to play,” says Joe Fiorentino, the pastor at Quadeville Pentecostal Church.

He says the community has been left with more questions than answers as to what happened to the girl Monday night, and the level of safety it should be feeling.

“This is a community of a lot of children who go out and they play in the fields, they play near the riverbeds and things like that,” Fiorentino said. “So, people want to know that their children are safe.”

Fiorentino says it was around 6:30 p.m. Monday night when the little girl ventured out into the community.

“She does that, from occasions. She’ll go visit friends in the area or she’ll just take walks, bike rides,” the community’s pastor said.

“After about a couple of hours, the family started to get concerned and obviously started to walk around and calling for her.”

He says the community formed a search party, wading through the brush, forests, and rivers search for the girl.

“It was about midnight, I believe, where the special investigative team came in with dogs and used them, and she was, I believe, found in about 20 minutes.”

OPP issued a separate alert about a missing eight-year-old girl on Monday evening who was last seen at a local grocery store in Quadeville.

The child was later found, police said in a post on X at 12:25 a.m. Tuesday. Dickson wouldn’t say whether the injured girl was the same girl reported missing.

“We are not confirming any other details regarding the child who was injured,” Dickson said in an email to CTV News Ottawa.

“As you will understand, Quadeville is a tiny community and releasing anything would/could provide to identify a victim and that person’s privacy is a top priority for the OPP.”

Resident Jacques Bourbeau says the incident has had a traumatic impact on the community.

“It was a shock to everybody and everyone is very concerned, very upset and they’re asking lots of questions over what the heck happened,” Bourbeau said.

Bourbeau says the rural village of about 50 to 75 residents is used to seeing children play in the streets with little fear of wildlife interactions. He adds he’s surprised to hear an animal attack is being considered.

“I have a friend who’s a trapper and he said he hasn’t seen a bear around here in the last couple of years. He said no evidence of coyotes or wolves, so if there was an animal attack, it would be very unusual,” he said.

Some residents told CTV News that OPP officers were in the area asking locals whether they had made any animal sightings or noticed suspicious individuals in the community.

The Brudenell, Lyndoch & Raglan Fire Department said in a post on Facebook that “in light of the recent events” in the community, it would not be participating in Canada Day celebrations next week.

“Out of respect for the family, community & our firefighters mental health, we hope you understand,” the fire department said.

Fiorentino has started a fundraiser to support the family.

“I believe the community will come back together, to help support the family financially because there will be a lot of trips back and forth to CHEO,” he said.

Residents are asked to call OPP at 1-888-310-1122 if you see anything related. In a life-threatening emergency, call 911.

With files from CTV News Ottawa’s Shaun Vardon

• Sign up now for daily CTV News Ottawa newsletters
• The information you need to know, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App