Tragedy in Burlington, Ontario as three-year-old boy found without vital signs in a vehicle in the parking lot outside the Crossroads Centre
Today is a day of mourning and prayer after a 3-year-old boy was found without vital signs Wednesday in a vehicle in the parking lot outside the Crossroads Centre in Burlington, Ontario.
Investigators are still piecing together exactly what happened. An autopsy is being performed on the child today. A man called police at around 5:30 EST. on Wednesday to report the child inside the car. It’s not known how long the little boy was in the vehicle. Temperatures were in the +20s on Wednesday. The grieving father is a member of the building owner’s team.
A prayer vigil was held for the family this morning at Crossroads. Shawn Saulnier, the owner of the Crossroads Centre building, shared these words with his staff directly affected by the tragedy, the Crossroads staff, and tenants of the building,
“Guilt and shame separate us from God. As Christians, we must avoid this message as this family will already feel it. We have to find a way to wrap our arms around this family. How special this community (at the Crossroads Centre) is that we showed up this morning.”
Jack Vanderkooy, Chief Operating Officer at Crossroads led the service in prayer and shared, “God puts His arms around us when we’re in pain. We grieve for our community. We put our hope in God’s grace.”
100 Huntley Street – a daily production of Crossroads Christian Communications – prayed with viewers on air this morning for all involved in this traumatic loss.
“At a time like this, prayer communicates what we cannot,” said Crossroads CEO Lorna Dueck. “We know there are many others who are hurting who wish for supportive prayer – our lives need God’s embrace. Please know that our 24/7 prayer lines are available to those in need today by calling 1-866-273-4444.”
We will provide an update on this story as more information becomes available.
Prayer is our first response, not our last resort (Ps 55:16, 1 Thess 5:17, Eph 6:18)
