St. Marys stabbing victim marking grim anniversary with run to support women’s shelter

A domestic abuse survivor who was stabbed by her partner is running from St Marys to Stratford to raise money for a women's shelter. Scott Miller reports.

Sydney Touzel will be spending her Valentine’s Day running from St. Marys to Stratford, because on Feb. 14, 2020, she was in a London hospital bed, recovering from lifesaving surgery.

“Six years ago, as of yesterday, I was dropping my son off to school at Little Falls Public School in St. Marys, and my ex-fiancé attacked me in my car and stabbed me multiple times,” explained Touzel.

The 32-year-old Touzel was dropping her son off at school when London business owner, Derek Boyd, stabbed her several times. The school was put into lockdown, Touzel was rushed to hospital, and Boyd fled the scene.

“I was okay, luckily, I guess, because I didn’t go unconscious at all during this time, I was able to tell the police who exactly stabbed me, where he was, where we lived, and everything, and they were able to arrest him while I was in surgery later that day,” said Touzel.

In 2022, Boyd pled guilty to attempted murder and was sentenced to 16 years behind bars.

Touzel is attempting to move forward with her life. While she considers herself a private person, she felt now was the time to step out of the shadows and share her story, in hopes someone that needs to hear it, learns something, and that what happened to her doesn’t happen to anyone else.

“There were a lot of red flags, blatant red flags, and signs that I saw in the beginning, and just chose to ignore. People who are abusers in the way that he was are really good at convincing you that things aren’t wrong, and giving you gifts, and doing things to make you stay,” she explained. “He did that for about three years, and I wish I would have just seen the signs in the beginning.”

She says living in a small town didn’t help her feel comfortable enough to leave Boyd before it was almost too late.

“I feel like it’s a lot harder for people to come forward, because you might know the police officer responded to your call, or someone knows your partner or your husband. And so I feel like it’s a lot harder to come forward in places where we live, just because you don’t want everyone knowing your story,” said Touzel.

Starting Saturday morning at 9 a.m., Touzel will run 21 kilometers from the site of her stabbing six years ago, Little Falls Public School, to Optimism Place Women’s Shelter and Support Services in Stratford, who will be the recipients of the money she raises.

Touzel has so far raised more than $8,400.

“This will be my first time running this far. So hopefully I can finish it,” said Touzel.

Optimism Place says police in Perth County receive two to three calls related to intimate partner violence every day.

To donate and follow Touzel’s ‘Rise and Run’ event, you can visit the Optimism Place Women Shelter’s website.