T.O. police identify hotel where girl was abused

Two phone tips have led Toronto police to identify the hotel where a nine-year-old girl was molested and assaulted about four years ago.

The tips came from Greater Toronto Area residents who had stayed at the hotel. The "fairly large hotel" is located in the southern United States, Toronto police reported Friday.

One of the tips came from someone who vacationed there just two weeks ago, CFTO's John Lancaster reports.

Police are not identifying the name of the hotel, or the state it is in. But Lancaster said sources have told CFTO the hotel is located in a popular tourist destination in central Florida.

The tips follow a move by Toronto police on Thursday to release six images from which the victim has been digitally removed. They showed an elevator, a fountain, and a bed in a hotel room.

When the call came in that positively identified the location, there was a sense of fulfillment for the investigators who have worked on the case for two years, said Det. Sgt. Paul Gillespie.

"I'm shocked. Myself and the team truthfully haven't slept much last night. Worked on this most of the day, tried to sleep. Couldn't -- minds racing with the possibilities," Gillespie told a news conference.

Up until now, police have had few details to work with. They know the victim is about 12 years old, has blonde hair, and likely lives in southeast Canada or northeastern United States.

Police also believe the abuser is a close family member of the victim, possibly her father or an uncle.

Toronto police have one of the best child pornography units in North America. Members are now working with American law enforcement officials to glean any more information about the hotel.

Police have been watching this particular victim since she was about nine years old. She is just one of more than 50,000 children police believe are being used for Internet pornography. So far, only 500 have been identified.

"We have actually tracked the children from infancy to the time they are babies, up until the time they are toddlers, and older," said Det. Const. Bill McGarry.

That's why police are considering releasing non-pornographic pictures of the victim to help with identification. But that move could be risky. There are fears the abuser might kill the victim if they think police are getting close to tracking them.

"This opens up a huge philosophical and moral debate,'' Gillespie said.

"However, if I had the choice myself of rescuing somebody from a lifetime of crime and letting it continue . . . my choice would be to get them out. I think we're going to go down that road.''

In an interview with the Toronto Star, Gillespie said the abuser appears in the photos but is careful not to show his face.

With a report from CFTO's John Lancaster and CTV's Denelle Balfour, and files from The Canadian Press