“You should be here.”
The message, printed on a coloured poster paper and held high by supporters in Cobourg, Ont. on Saturday, is to two-year-old Vienna Irwin, found dead at a small-town Ontario daycare last spring.
At the rally, held in the Irwins’ hometown, community members marked a year since Vienna’s death and highlighted a lack of answers in a police investigation now stretching into its second year.
The event saw a sea of butterflies transform the town’s Division and Elgin intersection. Imagery that has come to symbolize Vienna’s story in Northumberland County, the butterflies adorned posters, tee-shirts, lawn signs, and hats of those who came to mourn the girl.
Vienna was first reported missing from Watch Me Grow Daycare in Baltimore, Ont. on May 25, 2023. Her mother, Claire Irwin, had arrived at the facility, just a short drive north over the 401, at around around 5:20 p.m.
When it was realized Vienna was gone, emergency crews, parents and neighbours began to scour the area. Not long after, she was found at the same address without vital signs and rushed to hospital, but was later pronounced dead.
She was 2.
The subsequent investigation, overseen by the Ontario Provincial Police’s Criminal Investigation Branch, has offered no public updates since. As of Saturday, the Irwins are no closer to understanding what happened to Vienna that day.
At the rally, supporters touched on that lack of answers.
“Why was Vienna’s mom the first to call 911?” read one sign held by a supporter. “Her family needs answers,” said another. “There are too many holes for it to have been an accident,” a third read.
On Monday, investigators with the OPP told CTV News Toronto that they could not answer repeated questions regarding the investigation to protect its integrity.
