MITCHELL — They stood on a bridge, a group of firefighters overlooking the creek they’d searched so hard — one among them, for more than a week — looking for a 10-year-old girl who fell through the ice to her death.
MITCHELL — They stood on a bridge, a group of firefighters overlooking the creek they’d searched so hard — one among them, for more than a week — looking for a 10-year-old girl who fell through the ice to her death.
Tuesday, for the first time since Taleya Paris vanished nine days earlier, there was time to reflect after the exhaustive search.
The little girl’s body was recovered Monday afternoon.
James Marshall, a firefighter in the Perth East-West Perth department, wanted to show his colleagues from the Northern Bruce Peninsula a growing public tribute to Taleya before they all headed home. Marshall had been involved in the search since it began, the others since Monday.
Along the guard rail lining one side of the bridge over Whirl Creek, stretching from one side to the other, was a wall of stuffed animals left by well-wishers.
Teddy bears. Unicorns and kittens. Even a little Dalmatian dog, the kind associated with firehalls, wearing a firefighter’s helmet.
“Fly high, sweet baby girl,” read one of many messages — signed by “Auntie”— left by friends and family.
“Safe in the arms of the Lord,” another read.
“We worked very hard with our partners, other fire departments, OPP, their first responders, to get to today,” Marshall said. “Now, it’s just (about) wrapping your head around everything.”
The bridge, about six kilometers from the section of Whirl Creek where Taleya last was seen, has become a place of mourning for the Perth County town of 5,000.
The firefighters from Bruce Peninsula, part of the search team working when Taleya’s body was found in the creek, brought a teddy bear with them. They added it to the memorial on the bridge, talked for a few moments and then, were on their way.
Family members approached by Postmedia declined comment, but Taleya’s father called her a “princess” who had a lasting impact on those closest to her.
“Rest in paradise, Taleya. Daddy loves you always and (forever),” Tharron Paris of London wrote in a Facebook post late Monday.
“Thanks everyone for all the love (and) support. . . I’ll always cherish the amazing memories. You may be gone but never forgotten!”
Taleya lived in Mitchell with her twin sister and was active in a local dance club, some who knew the little girl said.
The area school board said it will continue to offer counseling to pupils and staff when classes resume after this week’s March break.
“Our hearts are heavy at the tragic loss of a young member of the West Perth community,” Avon Maitland District school board spokesperson Sarah Stright said in a statement Tuesday.
“This loss impacts our students, staff and community and we are deeply saddened by this news,” she said, adding, “our thoughts are with the family and friends of this young person and first responders during this incredibly difficult time.”
The search for the 10-year-old girl began March 6, when officials say Paris fell through the ice on Whirl Creek near Road 155 and Line 32 around 10:30 am
Dozens of area police officers, firefighters and others combed the waterways west of Mitchell looking for the girl, with the search later expanded south into the Thames River to nearby St. Marys. An OPP helicopter, drones and a dog search team were also used.
Perth Mayor Walter McKenzie said the tragic ordeal has been difficult for the entire town.
“The community is grieving right now and they’re in mourning,” he said.
The search and its heart-breaking conclusion sparked an outpouring of compassion in Mitchell, with many residents donating food to search crews and tying pink ribbons around lampposts and trees outside their homes.
“It is so beautiful to see,” Mitchell resident Cindy Noble, who helped organize the pink ribbon initiative, wrote in a message to The Free Press. “That is what we do here, we support each other in times of need, and it never ceases to amaze me.”
The local fire hall and information center were illuminated in pink every night during the search.
Search crews “didn’t want people out there helping them,” said McKenzie, citing safety issues. “This was another way” the community could show support for Taleya and her family, he said.
An online fundraiser for the family, to help with funeral expenses, had raised nearly $7,000 by late afternoon Tuesday.
“Heaven gained another angel this week,” the fundraising page said.
Marshall said the search was “overwhelming” at times.
“It was a huge job,” he said. “We had a lot of area and we had a lot of teams working. It was non-stop from seven in the morning through six or seven at night,” he said, adding fluctuating weather conditions made the search more difficult at times.
“It was extremely exhausting and frustrating because all we wanted to do was bring closure to the family and to the community.”
Marshall said critical stress management help is being offered to members of the local fire departments, most of whom are volunteers, who helped with the search.
A father of three, Marshall said the search was particularly tough for parents.
“It’s an emotional thing,” he said. “I couldn’t speak to how it impacted others. . . but as a father, it’s incredibly difficult. As a father, as a mother, I’m sure any time a child’s impacted you see it (through) the eyes of a parent. Many of the people there were parents and that was something that came up a lot.”