Parents of Riverdale boy accused of animal cruelty ask for compassion

In a statement posted to social media, the parents urged people not to judge their "home of love" and to stop threatening their family

Published Aug 31, 2024  •  Last updated 3 minutes ago  •  3 minute read

A raccoon sits in middle of an undisclosed road

The parents of a 16-year-old boy accused of animal cruelty say they are taking the allegations against their son “seriously.”

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And, in a statement posted to a neighbourhood social media group on behalf of the family, the parents urged people not to judge their “home of love” and to stop threatening their family after raccoons and a community member’s cat were allegedly found dead with signs they had been tortured.

“We wanted to reach out to say that we hear you and are in pain alongside you,” begins the statement, addressed “to the concerned members of Riverdale Community.”

“As the parents of the child who has been accused of harming animals in our community, we feel it’s important for you to know that no one is taking this lightly and regardless of the extent to which our child is or isn’t involved, we are taking this seriously and are engaging the maximum available support,” the statement reads.

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The parents point out their child is a “vulnerable member” of the community, a fact some people “conveniently minimize.”

“We are long-time members of the Riverdale community, and those of you who know us can hopefully attest that we are a home of love, open doors, always available to nurture peace and community health, and always ready to support our neighbours,” the parents say.

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Their statement also thanks those “who have had the courage to stand with us in this difficult time.”

“In an age of all too many crime shows and podcasts, we understand how easy it can be to engage in vigilante detective mentality and how enticing it can be to create a narrative of loose threads to help piece together a fragmented reality,” the parents say. “But this is our real life and your behaviour is impacting the safety and mental health of our children and neighbours.”

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“As a community, we have a responsibility to each other, and that means coming from a place of compassion and understanding instead of the all-too-often fallback of judgment,” they add.

Their son was arrested on Thursday and charged with two counts of causing unnecessary pain, suffering or Injury to an animal, killing or injuring other animals, and failure to comply with conditions.

Toronto Police allege the teen, who can’t be identified under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, injured and killed several local wildlife animals and a community member’s cat between Aug. 1 and Aug. 28.

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The alleged incidents of animal cruelty have prompted many people to voice their concern and anger in posts on social media.

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One Reddit user claimed two neighbours’ cats had vanished and urged people to keep their felines indoors.

“The tracking collar of one cat was found on a garage roof yesterday and the cat was found dead under the shed in the kid’s backyard ….,” the Redditor alleged.

Another Reddit user claimed to have seen “a skinned animal decomposing in a trash bag on the sidewalk, like someone had just dumped it there.”

“It was disturbing, with the trash bag partly covering its exposed guts through what looked like an incision,” the Redditor posted.

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Meanwhile, the boy’s family is asking for privacy.

“At this time, we ask for respect and privacy so that everyone can heal and the police and support agencies can do their jobs, as they are the only people properly equipped to conduct this investigation and help our child, our family, and our community,” the statement from the boy’s parents goes on to say. “We respectfully ask that you please refrain from engaging in further speculation about this situation, stop sharing information about our child’s identity and our family’s address, and cease threatening our family.”

Anyone with information regarding this investigation is urged to call police at 416-808-5500 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).

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