The Murder of Tori Stafford – Part 1

12/10/24 • 19 min

Good evening, true crime enthusiasts, and welcome to another chilling episode of Ontario Cold Cases – Canada's True Crime Podcast. I’m your host, Jay Nicoll of Nicoll Investigations, and tonight, we’re opening the book on one of the darkest chapters in Canadian history: the abduction and murder of eight-year-old Victoria ‘Tori’ Stafford. This case sent shockwaves through the quiet town of Woodstock, Ontario, and left an entire nation grappling with unimaginable horror.

On this episode of Historical True Crime Tuesdays, we’ll unravel the story of a little girl who was a perfect blend of sparkle and grit. Tori Stafford was vibrant and feisty, a child who loved dressing up but wasn’t afraid to get her hands dirty. A beacon of joy in her family’s life, she shared an unshakable bond with her older brother, Daryn. But in April 2009, just days after moving into a new home full of hope and excitement, Tori vanished on her way home from school—a route she had never walked alone before.

What began as an ordinary day for the Stafford family quickly spiraled into a nightmare of unanswered questions, haunting surveillance footage, and a desperate search. Tonight, in Part 1 of The Murder of Tori Stafford, we’ll explore Tori’s early life, the day of her disappearance, and the relentless efforts to bring her home. Along the way, we’ll uncover the ominous signs that something far more sinister was at play.

Grab your coffee, turn off the lights, and lock your doors—this is a story that will grip your heart and haunt your thoughts long after the episode ends. Let’s begin

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The Murder of Tori Stafford – Part 1

Grab your coffee, turn off the lights, and lock your doors—this is a story that will grip your heart and haunt your thoughts long after the episode ends. Let’s begin

Ontario Cold Cases - Wordpress
https://nicollinvestigations.wordpress.com/

For more videos subscribe to: https://www.youtube.com/@OntarioColdCases?sub_confirmation=1

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Previous Episode

What if it wasn’t really suicide?

Hello, I’m Jay Nicoll of Nicoll Investigation and this is Ontario Cold Cases - Canada’s True Crime Podcast.

Imagine this: a promising young man, John Connelly, 22 years old, with a glowing future ahead of him. A third-year pharmacy student at the University of Toronto, he was not just academically driven but also an accomplished athlete—former co-captain of the hockey team at Ottawa’s elite Ashbury College and recipient of its top award for athletics and academics. Then, on a frigid December morning in 2001, John’s lifeless body was found sprawled on the icy pavement outside his 10-storey apartment on Toronto’s Walmer Road.

At first glance, the scene whispered “suicide.” But not to his parents.

John was found face-up, broken but oddly composed. His gloves were snugly on, his jacket zipped to the neck, and a toque covered his head. Except... John never wore gloves. He never zipped his jacket. And that toque? Not even a winter hat—it was a head cover from his golf club set, a peculiar accessory he’d never think to wear.

The details screamed something was off. The Connelly’s couldn’t ignore the glaring inconsistencies, especially the deep bruise on his forehead. Forensic experts would later confirm that the injury couldn’t have been caused by the fall alone. His parents were convinced of a darker truth: John was attacked in his apartment, knocked unconscious, and staged to look like he had jumped—or worse, fallen—from the rooftop.

The question that haunts them, and anyone who looks closely, remains: if the scene was so meticulously crafted, who was behind it, and why? The answers, it seems, lie somewhere in the chilling gap between perception and reality—a gap wide enough to swallow the truth whole.

Ontario Cold Cases – Canada’s True Crime Podcast. Join us each week, as we try to unravel and answer these questions to murders that have never been solved, and don’t forget to subscribe with new episodes daily wherever you listen to your favourite podcasts.

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Next Episode

The Ghost Ledger

Secrets can kill. Some, more than others.

When businessman Michael Trent is found dead, police call it a "robbery gone wrong." But as whispers of a sinister ledger emerge—a book filled with names, payouts, and evidence of corruption—everything about Trent’s murder starts to unravel.

Enter private investigator Nick Monday, a man drawn into a deadly web of lies, betrayal, and greed. With every lead he follows, the stakes get higher. A glamorous informant with secrets of her own, a ruthless gangster bent on revenge, and a desperate ex-wife who knows more than she’s saying—all have reasons to want the ledger, and all are willing to kill for it.

Was Michael Trent silenced to protect the city’s darkest secrets? Or did his own double-dealing cost him his life?

Join Ontario Cold Cases: Canada’s True Crime Podcast for an unforgettable journey into a mystery that’s colder than a Canadian winter. Twisting clues, shocking revelations, and an edge-of-your-seat investigation—it’s a case that proves some secrets refuse to stay buried.

Will the truth finally come to light, or will the darkness win again?

Listen now, wherever you find your podcasts.

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