“Just be brave, be strong, and come home,” the girl's dad, Joseph, said
Credit: Toronto Police Service
NEED TO KNOW
- Toronto police have initiated a high-level search for a missing 14-year-old girl, who was last seen on May 15
- The teen, identified only as Esther, was last seen on May 15, and authorities say they are concerned for her safety
- “I’ve been pretty much a detective and making phone calls and trying to review footage from any possible place, knocking on doors,” said the girl’s dad, Joseph
The parents of a missing 14-year-old Toronto girl are stepping up to help search for their daughter, one week after she disappeared.
Toronto police first announced on Sunday, May 17, that the teen, identified only as Esther, had last been seen on Friday, May 15, and that authorities were concerned for her safety.
Police said that she was seen in the Canadian city's Earl Bales Park area at Bathurst Street and Sheppard Avenue West, and that she was wearing gray sweatpants, a green shirt, and no shoes. Esther is 5'2", has a medium build and brown hair.
By late Thursday, May 21, police shared that they had learned the teen was last spotted just after midnight on Saturday, May 16, near Toronto's Bathurst Street and Hotspur Road, about 2 miles south of the park, according to CityNews Toronto and CBC News.
Credit: Toronto Police Service
Police said that it is currently unclear what Esther — who has been diagnosed as being on the autism spectrum — was doing at the park. She has not been heard from since her disappearance.
Since she vanished, Esther's parents, Shira and Joseph, have helped to search for their daughter and have been outspoken about wanting to get her home as soon as possible.
“I've been pretty much a detective and making phone calls and trying to review footage from any possible place, knocking on doors,” Joseph told CTV News Toronto on Thursday, adding that he has gone “full sleuth” mode trying to find his daughter.
“I'm trying to just be the detective she needs me to be,” he told the outlet through tears. “I'll worry about the emotions later.”
Police have shared that they have initiated a Level 1 search for the teen, the highest search level possible.
“Level 1 is the most serious situation that opens up a lot of resources to us, like the marine unit, police dog services, and the mounted unit,” Duty Inspector Jon Rose said Thursday, according to the outlet.
Authorities have not shared why exactly they upgraded the level in this case. According to CBC News, only five of last year's 3,100 missing person reports were categorized as Level 1.
Speaking with CTV News, Esther's parents shared that they hoped not to have to disclose their daughter's autism diagnosis for her privacy.
“It's her medical information that she should have the right to disclose when she chooses to,” Shira said. “The only reason that we're OK saying it now [is] because she's still missing, and it's super scary to think that she's been gone for a week.”
Shira also told local media that her daughter is someone who would go "above and beyond" to help others, CBC News reported.
“I worry that she is going to be too trusting, that somebody will have ill intentions,” she said.
The night that she went missing, her parents said they followed her to Earl Bales Park but could not find her.
“We love her and we care about her, and we want her to come home to us, and we miss her, so we miss her greatly, and that's the most important thing for us,” Shira added.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
When asked if they had a message for their daughter, Esther's parents said, “Esti, please come home. Everybody misses you. They just want you to come home. We're worried about you.”
“We love you,” Joseph added. “We miss Esti, and everybody in the whole community loves you. You can see, all you have to do is look around, thousands and thousands of people care about you. So, just come home safe.”
“If you're scared to come home, just be brave, be strong, and come home,” Shira added, saying that no one would be angry.
Toronto police have set up a dedicated phone line to collect tips from the public, which can be reached at (647) 355-4148. The public can also upload any tips — including video footage or photos — to a dedicated QR code link.
“We deeply appreciate how concerning this is to the community and to the family when a young person goes missing, especially for this length of time,” Duty Inspector Rose added, according to CTV News. “We would very much like to find Esther to get her home safely to her family.”
Read the full article here
