City Police update on child-related investigation

CITY POLICE NEWS RELEASE

(FOLLOWED BY EDITOR'S NOTE)

************************* Update - investigation completed

The Sault Ste. Marie Police Service was contacted by the citizens that they were seeking to identify in relation to this occurrence and have now since completed their investigation.

Through investigation police have learned that the initial information that was released by the media over the past weekend regarding this incident was not accurate and have determined that the citizens involved did help a child that was lost and in need of assistance.

The Sault Ste. Marie Police Service would like to acknowledge and thank the citizens that assisted the child on this day.

************************* Editor's note: The following item was posted in SooToday.com's Reader Response section on Saturday, November 12, 2011, by the couple who assisted the child in question; we are posting it again for the benefit of readers who may have missed it earlier.

This is in response to the lost little girl found by couple.

This message is from the couple who found her.

We found her in the middle of a busy street, crying and obviously in distress a few blocks and around the corner from her street in the pouring rain.

Being the mother of four children I agree it was not in the best interest to let her in my car, I needed her to calm down so she could tell us where she lived, or some information that could lead her home.

She knew nothing.

After a few minutes of talking, she remembered her street name, no number just the name.

I asked directions from a resident of the street we were on and proceeded to drive up the street she named hoping she would recognize her house.

After turning onto her street, we spotted a young boy, walking his bike about a half block ahead, he appeared to be calling out, or looking for something.

We stopped and asked the boy if he was looking for his little sister, we had to repeat it twice.

He stated yes.

We asked the young girl if that was indeed her brother, we did not want to let her go with just anybody.

She said yes, got out of the car, the young boy thanked us profusely for finding his little sister.

The little girl was in no way distressed when she got out of the car, she was happy and relieved.

At no point did this young boy approach my vehicle in anyway, he certainly did not spot his sister and knock on our window, we spotted and approached him all too happy to deliver his lost sister to him.

It is the way that stories like this one get twisted around that make it harder and harder for good citizens to assist in times of need.

Whatever happened to a simple "Thank you" to the good-intentioned couple who ensured my daughter was safe as opposed to leaving her where she was, visibly upset and vulnerable to the next person who may not have been so willing to help.

As for the school bus driver, the young girl stated that she got on the bus expecting to see her brother, who was not there, she said her bus went in the wrong direction so she got off.

The place we came across her at was not close to her home, she was two blocks down and around the corner, heading in the opposite direction of home.

I would suggest that an important thing to discuss with our children is there basic information and what they should do in a situation such as this, also speak to the young children who are responsible for their siblings when their parents are at work.

As bad as your son has made it sound, and the way this story has been twisted, I wouldn't change my decision to help the little girl.

I'm glad she is home safe and believe me I have talked to my children about how lies and mistruths can upset and twist the facts.

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