Toddler Vienna Rose Irwin missing from daycare found dead down a well
A 2-year-old Canadian girl was found dead down a well after going missing from her daycare — with staff only realizing when the mom came to pick her up, according to reports.
Little Vienna Rose Irwin was discovered missing Thursday afternoon when mom Claire arrived at Watch Me Grow Day Care in Cobourg, Ontario, according to the Toronto Sun.
After a frantic search, she was found dead down an open well about an hour later, Global News said.
A fundraiser called her the “most beautiful and sweetest little girl” who “gained her angel wings in a way parents only think about in their worst nightmares.”
Neighbors recalled staff earlier rushing around begging for help finding the toddler as cops also raced to the scene.
“We started looking immediately, checking our backyards, everywhere,” said Greg Gotthelf, who lives across the street from the daycare, which is near a busy two-lane highway.
The neighbor fought back tears as he recalled seeing Vienna’s mom during the search.
“I know what loss feels like, and the pain on her face was incredible,” the overwhelmed neighbor told the Toronto Sun.
“The reality is kids are kids – they can be there one second and gone another.”
Ontario Provincial Police only confirmed that a child was reported missing “from an address in Hamilton Township” and “was subsequently located deceased at the address.”
An online fundraiser said that the parents, Clay and Claire Irwin, are “so very overwhelmed and stricken with grief that they may not be able to answer any” messages of support. It had raised the US equivalent of around $90,000 with more than 1,300 donating by Tuesday afternoon.
The little girl’s death is still being investigated by cops and Ontario’s chief coroner, with daycare staff assisting, CTV News said.
Watch Me Grow is fully licensed and has no history of serious incidents, the Ministry of Education told the outlet.
“We were deeply saddened to hear about the passing of a child and offer our heartfelt condolences to their family and loved ones,” a ministry spokesperson said.