Body of missing 10-year-old girl found after major search near Mitchell

The body of a 10-year-old girl missing for more than a week after falling through the ice on a creek in the Stratford-area town of Mitchell has been found, provincial police say.

Perth County OPP identified the girl as 10-year-old Taleya Paris of West Perth Tuesday morning. Her death is not considered suspicious.

The body of the girl was found shortly before 3 pm Monday, police said, without specifying where in Whirl Creek it was located.

In a social media post late Monday, Taleya’s father said she was a “princess” who left a lasting impact on those around her.

“Rest in paradise Taleya. Daddy loves you always and (forever),” London resident Tharron Paris wrote in a Facebook post.

“Thanks everyone for all the love (and) support. . . . I’ll always cherish the amazing memories. (Taleya) may be gone but never forgotten!”

Taleya Paris was living in Mitchell with her twin sister, multiple residents in this community 20 kilometers northwest of Stratford have told The Free Press. None would speak on the record, given the sensitivity of the situation, though several said the youngster was outside, not far from the rural property where she stayed, when she fell into the water.

Tharron Paris first identified his daughter as the missing girl last week – one day after she fell through the ice, prompting a massive search – in another social media post.

Paris, who didn’t respond to multiple interview requests from The Free Press, also posted photos of his twins, now 10, from several years ago.

The discovery brings to an end an extensive search involving dozens of area police officers, firefighters and members of specialized units, who for more than nine days were combing the waterways west of Mitchell looking for the girl.

The search was launched March 6, when officials say Paris fell through the ice on Whirl Creek near Road 155 and Line 32 around 10:30 am

After initial attempts to locate the girl were unsuccessful, officials decided to expand the area of ​​the search south into the Thames River all the way to St. Marys.

Sections of Whirl Creek in Mitchell and the Thames River in the neighboring town of St. Marys have been divided into grids that emergency crews are using to keep track of their search efforts by air, on the ground and in the water. An OPP helicopter, drones and a canine unit also were used in the search

“We’ve tried to have specialized water rescue teams (on) as many days as possible,” said Perth East-West fire Chief Bill Hunter. “That’s been our goal right from (the beginning) when we realized the magnitude of the search.”

The case has shaken the small community of Mitchell, whose population is about 5,000. It sparked an outpouring of support from residents, some of whom lined up teddy bears along a local bridge and donated food to crews helping in the search.