What Happened To Tori Stafford?

 View Larger

Surveillance footage shows missing 8-year-old Tori Stafford with a woman that Canadian authorities have now identified as Terri-Lynne McClintic.

For weeks, many Canadians hoped that the disappearance of 8-year-old Victoria "Tori" Stafford would resolve itself with a happy conclusion. 

Tragically, that didn't happen as search crews looked around the clock for Tori's remains. 

On the evening of April 8, 2009, police in Woodstock, Ont. were notified that Tori had gone missing after she didn't come home from school.

According to authorities, Tori was last seen leaving Oliver Stephens Public School after classes ended at around 3:30 p.m., and was seen on surveillance video walking with an unidentified woman.

The surveillance camera was positioned at the high school adjacent to Tori's school. Police say that after classes let out, it would have taken Tori only a matter of minutes to walk from her school to where she was seen on video.

The case has left the community shaken, with many parents nervous about their children encountering strangers.

Caught On Tape?

 View Larger

Victoria "Tori" Stafford went missing on April 8, 2009 and now police in Canada have found the missing girl's remains near Mount Forest, Ontario.

Police obtained video surveillance footage of a child matching Tori's appearance walking with a then-unidentified woman on Fyfe Ave. in the area of Walter Street. 

Police confirmed the child in the video footage is Tori Stafford.  The woman, now identified as Terri-Lynne McClintic, is seen in the surveillance video wearing a baggy white coat and dark pants.

Tori was last seen wearing black and white plaid running shoes, a black leotard, and velvet pleated skirt, with an army green "Hanna Montana" t-shirt with pink stitching. She was wearing a black "Hanna Montana" winter coat with a white fur hood, and carrying a purple "Bratz" brand bag. 

Cops Make Two Arrests But The Search Continues

 View Larger

Tori Stafford was last seen wearing a green shirt, purple velvet skirt, and carrying a purple "Bratz" brand bag.

In the first 24 hours after Tori was reported missing, local authorities had dozens of officers out searching and canvassing much of the city.

In the weeks since, members of the community, as well as nearby police departments, joined the search for Tori.  K-9 units, a helicopter, and dozens of trained searchers and rescue officers were utilized in the hours after Tori's disappearance.

For weeks, police poured through hundreds of leads and tips in hopes of locating Tori Stafford alive.

On May 19, 2009, authorities got a break and received information on two suspects, Michael Thomas C.S. Rafferty, 29, and Terri-Lynne McClintic, 18.

Both were taken into custody that night. The next day, Rafferty was charged with murder, and McClintic was charged with kidnapping and accessory to murder.

Authorities say that Rafferty and McClintic were in a relationship, and that McClintic lived with her mother in Woodstock.

McClintic also has a juvenile criminal record.

Police are trying to locate Tori's body in the area around the town of Guelph, Ont., roughly 40 miles from her hometown of Woodstock.  Authorities are also looking in nearby communities for the little girl's remains. 

Of particular interest to cops is the cloth, grey colored back seat of a blue 2003 Honda Civic that belonged to Michael Rafferty.  Police believe that the car was used in Tori's abduction. 

The car was captured on surveillance video at a Woodstock gas station in the time around Tori was kidnapped. 

On July 19, 2009, investigators searching near Mount Forest, Ontario discovered the body of a child.  One day later, authorities confirmed that the remains were that of Tori Stafford. 

Jul 19, 2009
Tori Stafford's Body Discovered By Authorities