Concern Grows in Quadeville After Child’s Injury

People in a small village in rural eastern Ontario are feeling worried and unsure after a young girl was found badly injured in their area – with details still unclear.

On Tuesday, Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) alerted residents of Quadeville, a village about 60 kilometres southwest of Renfrew, to keep their kids indoors or closely supervised following an overnight incident that left an eight-year-old girl seriously hurt.

“Though this appears to be an isolated incident, investigators are still working to determine the cause of the child’s injuries,” the police force said Tuesday on social media.

Jordan Genrick, chief of the Brudenell, Lyndoch and Raglan Fire Department, told CBC on Tuesday afternoon that firefighters assisted OPP officers in removing the injured girl from woods in Quadeville around 12:30 a. m. Tuesday. An area of forest behind homes along Quadeville Road was blocked off with police tape.

Renfrew County paramedics confirmed to CBC that they provided care for the child but did not give further details about her injuries.

An unmarked OPP vehicle blocks access to a wooded area in Quadeville. (Guy Quenneville/CBC)

OPP stated that the child remains hospitalized and they are “working with medical officials as part of the investigation.” They cautioned parents to keep their children indoors or under close supervision “until the source of the victim’s injuries can be determined.”

“We honestly don’t know what the source of the injuries was,” OPP spokesperson Bill Dickson told CBC on Tuesday afternoon.

Patient transport service Ornge said in an email Tuesday afternoon it took a child patient to the children’s hospital in Ottawa “with critical injuries relating to an animal attack.”

Child reported missing Monday

OPP also issued a missing persons bulletin on Monday night featuring photos of a child who’d last been seen around 6 p. m. at a grocery store in Quadeville. The missing child, who police said is eight years old, was later reported found.

The local fire department announced on social media that “in light of the recent events in Quadeville” it would not take part in local Canada Day celebrations, including a fireworks display planned for Saturday.

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

The local fire department says firefighters helped OPP officers extract the injured girl from dense woods in Quadeville around 12:30 a. m. Tuesday. (Guy Quenneville/CBC)

John Hodge, who has lived in Quadeville for two years near where police had cordoned off an area, mentioned that OPP officers visited his home early Tuesday morning asking about a young girl that had gone missing.

Later on Tuesday, after finding out about the girl’s condition, OPP returned to ask if Hodge had noticed any wildlife nearby.

“Hopefully she’s going to be okay and this was just an isolated incident,” he said.

Quadeville resident John Hodge stands near the rear of his property, which faces a wooded area police had taped off on Tuesday. (Guy Quenneville/CBC)

Other locals shared with CBC that police also came by their homes asking if they’d seen any pets or wildlife recently.

They noted that community members began searching for the missing child Monday evening and eventually police dogs located her.


“Just terrible. I’ve been terrible all day,” one resident expressed her feelings about Tuesday’s events. “We live in a rural spot. You just don’t expect stuff like that.”

Quadeville is part of Brudenell, Lyndoch and Raglan township located within Renfrew County, approximately 130 kilometres west of downtown Ottawa and 30 kilometres southeast of Barry’s Bay.

The township had around 1,550 residents according to data from the 2021 census.


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