Such a Tragic Story!!

[Oddmott]

I only hope no cars drove by in that 300m journey and 2nd guessing they're insticts. I used to get stares working in Rexdale when I'd slow down to verify a little wanderer with no supervision. I've got bells strapped to both front and back doors. They've gottin' me in shyte many a late nights from the bar.......but well worth it. RIP

Good idea on the bells, i think i'll get some this weekend.

Many people are commenting "well, didn't they have the chain lock engaged". Even if they did, most toddlers can slip through that 6"-8" gap no problem.

[Fox]

My uncle woke one night to the sound of his front door opening and closing, he grabbed a bat and slowly headed downstairs. When he went to the front door he saw his daughter sleeping on the big green electrical box outside. She sleep walked right out of the house, unlocked the deadbolts and everything. They installed an alarm system that actually was there to keep her in the house or wake her when she tried to leave. It did trip a number of times before she grew out of sleep walking.

Scary stuff, the child was in a safe environment and still something happened. I feel so bad for the people who were watching him (I think it was the grandparents) they did not do anything wrong and they will live with this forever.

[trimmer21]

Must say, i'm surprised by all the replies here - all essentially stating how i feel about the situation - when it's become the norm in our society to pass damning judgments on the parents whenever a child is harmed or killed.

I have to turn off the radio or skip the articles whenever this news story pops up. I just can't imagine anything that could rip my heart apart more than having this or a similar preventable death happen to one of my kids.

My wife always mocks me for waking up at every little noise in our house... after this story broke she gave me a big hug and told me to keep it up. lol

Until something like this happens,I don't think anyone would ever conceive that this could happen at their house. This just rips your guts out. For all the first responders,too,something like this changes people and not for the better. A friend of mine's mother with Alzheimers wandered out early before sun up one cold winter Sunday morning with nothing on but a housecoat and slippers. They found her a block away,hypothermic and frost bitten,sitting on a bus stop bench. She thought she was going to church. She passed two weeks later unable to recover. This seems to happen more than we think.

[JBen]

1) Just think about how often this kind of thing happens (more out west than here in Ont).
2) Always knew whenever my father had a bad one (child)..Back in those days first responders coped by hitting the bottle
3) Ive had an extremely close call with one of my kids. Spending a night in emerg..not something any parent ever wants to have to deal with.

Kids are escape artist. Bells (in lieu of security alarms) on doors is a brilliant idea.

[M_P]

Until something like this happens,I don't think anyone would ever conceive that this could happen at their house. This just rips your guts out. For all the first responders,too,something like this changes people and not for the better. A friend of mine's mother with Alzheimers wandered out early before sun up one cold winter Sunday morning with nothing on but a housecoat and slippers. They found her a block away,hypothermic and frost bitten,sitting on a bus stop bench. She thought she was going to church. She passed two weeks later unable to recover. This seems to happen more than we think.

It happened several years back in Ancaster where an older woman who suffered from dementia went missing during the winter. Hamilton Canine found her in a snow bank and hypothermic. I believe she recovered. I can't imagine the anguish in both of those homes right now. Anyone placing blame on the grandparents has never raised a young Houdini. Kids are amazingly resourceful.