Toronto police sift through missing children cases to try to identify remains of girl found in dumpster

Toronto police have yet to identify the remains of a young girl found in a Rosedale dumpster, but investigators are now sifting through cases of missing children and reviewing tips to try to discover her identity.

Police hope to have definitive information to release within the next several days, according to Insp. Hank Idsinga, head of the homicide unit. There's no word on the cause of the girl's death.

"We're going full steam ahead," Idsinga told reporters on Wednesday outside police headquarters on College Street near Yonge Street.

"We've been doing a lot of digging through missing persons occurrences. Our forensic folks went through the residence where that dumpster was with a fine tooth comb. We're getting lots of tips. We could always use more tips."

An expert says the investigation is complex because of the victim's age and the location and state of her remains.

The girl's remains were found in a dumpster outside an unoccupied home under construction on Dale Avenue near Castle Frank Road, north of Bloor Street East, on Monday, May 2 at about 4:45 p.m. 

Police said the remains were wrapped in a crochet blanket inside a plastic bag, and that bag was wrapped in a colourful blanket. Police have shared images of both blankets hoping someone will recognize the materials and be able to identify the girl.

According to the results of a May 4 post-mortem examination, the girl was young, possibly between four and seven.

Investigators believe the remains were left in the area between April 28 at 12 p.m. and May 2 at 4:45 p.m. The girl, however, may have died as early as last summer or last fall or earlier, police have said.

Police have described the girl as being Black and of African or mixed African descent. She was three feet and six inches tall, with a thin build. Her black curly hair was sectioned in four short ponytails, two of which were braided and tied with black and blue elastics. She had all her teeth.

Idsinga said it will take time for police to review missing persons cases and officers are looking at a number involving young children in the Greater Toronto Area. 

"To make that definitive match is going to take quite a bit of work as you can imagine. But I'll appeal again if anyone has any information whatsoever," he said.

"An awful lot of these occurrences can be familial abductions for instance," Idsinga said.

"They could be anything from outstanding immigration warrants on families and they disappear from the shelter systems. ... The people have made enough of an impact where their absence is noted and somebody has reported them missing."