[Illusion]

TORONTO — A three-year-old boy died after wandering from his grandmother’s North York apartment into the extreme cold Thursday morning.

Police issued a statement around 2 p.m. confirming Elijah Marsh died after being out in the cold weather with little clothing for six hours.

This tragic ending comes following a massive hunt for the boy and hours of work at North York General Hospital to save his life after he was found with no vital signs. It all left neighbours — and much of the city — in mourning, trying to understand what happened.

Rita, who came to drop off flowers at a growing memorial outside of the Neptune Dr. apartment, was emotional.

“What this family is going through,” she said through tears late Thursday. “The suffering. It’s unreal.”

“I just hope that the family has support and that people are not judgmental. Things happen. It’s just sad.”

Police were called about Elijah’s disappearance around 7:30 a.m. But security footage from the complex revealed that the boy had left the building around 4 a.m., clad in just a T-shirt, pull-up diapers and a pair of boots.

Police mobilized over 100 units, including their canine unit, mounted unit and officers from every division in the city, to help with the search. Volunteers from across the GTA converged on the Bathurst St. and Hwy. 401 area to lend a hand as temperatures hovered around -19C, with a windchill driving it lower, closer to -28C.

“The police response was aggressive and massive from the very early going,” said Toronto Police Insp. Frank Barredo. “A missing three-year-old child, in this sort of temperature, in this sort of an environment, is something we treat very, very seriously.”

And then around 10 a.m. the boy was discovered by a pair of volunteers, “tucked away in a corner” beside a home on Baycrest Ave., several blocks from his grandmother’s apartment, Barredo said.

Paramedics worked to save the boy inside an ambulance as friends and neighbours huddled together, crying tears that froze to their faces in the cold.

Donna Castrucci, who lives across the street from where Elijah was discovered, said she was stunned to see the scene unfold in front of her home.

“It’s shocking,” Castrucci said. “I’m just feel sorry for his parents ... I have children myself. As soon as I heard the news I just started to cry.”

The boy was rushed to hospital and police announced his death four hours later.

http://www.torontosun.com/2015/02/19...ing-in-toronto

[CrunchyCripple]

Isn't it strange how toddlers have this weird urge to just wander off alone like that?

I've heard of it so much, it's so common.
In the middle of the night???

So weird. Almost like some sort of suicide trigger or something. *not really, I know*

[spudigitti]

Poor lad

[Pigeon]

Poor kid. He would have been okay if it happened at a different time of year...

[winvens]

Poor little muffin.

[Buckafuffalo]

I used to sleepwalk when I was was 7-8. I would wander around the apartment courtyards at 2 or 3 in the morning. My sperm donor asshole of a father did something smart for once in his pity full life and put a chain lock at the very top of the door and out of my reach.

As tragic as Elijiah Marsh's death was (I work down in Toronto), the very next fucking day a 4 year old was found wandering around naked in the bitter sub-zero temperatures. Luckily though the child was found by a neighbour and taken in and the mother was arrested and charged with child abandonment.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toront...cold-1.2965273

[invertigo]

I found a wandering toddler late at night once. Her parents fell asleep on the couch and she just toddled right off. It was a summer night so it wasn't cold. The scary part was how close she made it the highway- half a block. Her story had a happy ending, but it gives me the chills to think of what could have happened if I hadn't gone for a midnight stroll at just the right time.

[CrunchyCripple]

We had some neighbors over who brought their 2 year old. No one noticed the toddler wander away, except for my Rottweiler.

When the mother noticed her kid was not with us other kids, she raced outside to find the little one going for a walk with my dog following diligently.

He didn't even know the kid, but knew his mother was being an irresponsible twat.

[Illusion]

Strangers raise more than $173,000 for funeral of boy.

http://www.torontosun.com/2015/02/22...brings-in-173g

[petedeamon]

Very sad. I can't remember ever having "Escaped" during the night. What is going on with these kids?