Canadian Sportcaster Dan O'Toole Returns to TV After Claiming His Infant Daughter Was 'Taken'

Last month, Canadian sports anchor Dan O'Toole claimed his 1-month-old daughter Oakland was missing before being eventually found safe

Published on August 10, 2020 01:41 PM

Dan O'Toole is back on the small screen.

The Canadian sports anchor, 44, returned to television on Sunday just over a month after he announced that his newborn daughter was missing and then eventually safe, which drew both support and concern from many across the globe.

"Hey there, it's great to be back," O'Toole said in an on-air message he posted on Instagram. "We all need to take a break from time to time and look after our mental health, so I've been away for a little bit while I looked after myself."

"Now I'm back, I'm feeling good and I want to thank everyone for your well wishes and support for me and my family over the last few weeks," he added.

"Everyone is doing fine," the father of three assured, "and I'm thrilled to be here, so let's get on with the show."

On July 2, O'Toole made headlines when he claimed that his 1-month-old daughter Oakland was missing. At the time, he posted a black-and-white snapshot of his newborn on Instagram — which he has since deleted — and wrote in the caption that he was "praying that whoever has you, is holding you. That whoever has taken you from me, is protecting you. That however has you, let’s you come back into my arms."

But just hours later, O'Toole — who is also dad to daughters Ruby and Sydney with ex-wife Corrie — updated the caption, writing that Oakland had been found "safe."

"My baby Oakland has been confirmed to be safe. I have still not seen her or held her," he wrote. "To those that decided to bash me during this ordeal, tell me this: have you ever looked in the eyes of your kids, and not been able to tell them where their sister is or when they will see her again?"

"We are still broken," added O'Toole. "We may never be fixed again."

In a statement, the Toronto Police Department told PEOPLE at the time that it did not have a report of a missing infant pertaining to O’Toole, and that no alert had been issued.

O'Toole, who hosts the show SC with Jay and Dan on Canada's The Sports Network (TSN), announced Oakland's birth on May 26. Sharing a photo of the newborn, O'Toole wrote, "When you self isolate long enough, you get one of these as a door prize!!"

"Meet Oakland Eleanor Sandra Newman-O’Toole," he added. "My brand new lil girl who has a million names, and all of my heart. In case it was ever in doubt, now officially NEVER forgetting 2020."