HUNTER: Teen accused of 'cutting girl to pieces' was 'quiet, awkward'
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The 17-year-old seemed like a “quiet, awkward kid” to teachers at Madawaska Valley High School.
Mostly, he hung around a group of girls. There was little that set him apart as he finished Grade 11. His parents were divorced, and he lived with his mother in tiny Quadeville (Population: 300) in Renfrew County.
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It is, as a friend of mine who lives in the area described it: The end of the line.
But that teenage boy is now in a world of hurt, accused of a heinous attack on an eight-year-old girl that has sickened even veteran detectives.
“What happened to him in less than a month? I don’t know. No one does,” my friend said, adding, “His mother seems normal but obviously, something snapped.”
Of course, under the provisions of the crazy-making Youth Criminal Justice Act, we may never know the boy’s name – unless there is a next time.
The teen is now charged with attempted murder and sexual assault with a weapon in connection with an attack on the little girl. He remains in custody and is slated to appear before the Ontario Court of Justice at a later date. None of the charges have been proven in court.
On June 24, around 12:30 a.m., the OPP Canine Unit found the little girl suffering life-threatening injuries and rushed to the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) in Ottawa. Her injuries were so horrific, cops believed she had been ravaged by a wild animal.
Parents were warned to keep their kids indoors. But forensics revealed there were no traces of animal DNA. It was a different type of animal, the most dangerous kind.
“That little girl was cut to pieces,” my friend, who asked not to be identified, adding she was then “left her to die.”
The victim reportedly knew her allegedly attacker well. On the day she was attacked, she was walking home from the store in Quadeville when terror struck. Another local claimed that when the girl emerged from her coma, she pointed the finger at the boy.
The girl lives near her alleged attacker. And everyone knows everyone in the village.
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You go just past the Madawaska River bridge on Hwy. 62, turn right onto Hwy. 515, go through Palmer Rapids, and about 25 minutes later, you are in Quadeville.
“It’s the end of the road, literally and figuratively. It’s logging, hunting and fishing down there,” my friend said. “Not much else. And almost everyone has the same last name: Quade. As in Quadeville.”
The victim has embarked on a long road of recovery and is under constant medical care. She had been happy child.
“When she sees you, she always approaches with a huge smile,” Quadeville Pentecostal Church Pastor Joseph Fiorentino said last month.
“She has a spunky soul that is full of kindness, love for others, and spiritual curiosity. If you have had a challenging day, this little lady is going to cheer you up.”
Her accused attacker was described as “normal.”
Unfortunately, “normal” doesn’t account for much these days.
Anyone with information or video that could help investigators in the case is asked to call the Upper Ottawa Valley detachment of the OPP at 1-888-310-1122 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
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