Mom thought her autistic child was at school in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., but she was home with her dead father

WARNING: This story contains distressing details.

A mother in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., says she has had nightmares every night since her eight-year-old autistic daughter was left at home alone all day with her dead father.

Sheri Stuckenbrock shared custody of her daughter, Tillie, with Jeff Stuckenbrock.

Tillie is non-verbal and attends a communication class at H.M. Robbins Public School.

"She's such an amazing little kid. She's turning nine in October and she is the brightest, happiest, funkiest kid you'll ever meet," Sheri Stuckenbrock told CBC News.

"She's non-verbal, autistic. She's got some words and she sings songs and stuff, but she can't talk to you."

Since junior kindergarten, Sheri said, Tillie has always taken a cab to school. On Friday, she was with her father and was supposed to take the taxi to H.M. Robbins at 8:10 a.m.

According to the child's mother, the cab driver later said Tillie stood at the window and waved at the taxi from inside the home.

"And she [the taxi driver] said she knew something was wrong. It didn't seem right."

But she said taxi drivers have strict protocols when they drive children to school.

"They are not allowed to get out of the taxi," Sheri said.

"They are not allowed to assist with buckling kids in. If you have problems or anything, they are not allowed to touch the children."

The driver called dispatch and told them she was not able to pick up Tillie that morning. Dispatch then alerted the school.

But Sheri said she didn't know about what happened until the end of the day, when she called Tillie's father to ask if he picked up their daughter's prescriptions at the pharmacy.