Missing 14 year-old Ester
Missing 14 year-old Esther PHOTO : TORONTO POLICE

Toronto police and a local neighborhood watch group have received reports that posters for a missing teenage girl have been torn down.

The girl, Esther has been missing since the 15th of May.

Reports that Posters are Being Ripped Down

Maureen Leshem, a spokesperson for Esther's family, said it was 'disturbing and cruel' to see posters being torn down.

'When a family is desperately trying to find their child, this kind of behaviour should concern every person in our city,' she said in an emailed statement to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.

'Right now, the only focus should be on finding Esther. Instead, volunteers who have spent days and nights searching, postering, and raising awareness are watching those efforts deliberately undermined.'

The Toronto police expressed a similar sentiment while also asking for any information.

Nadine Ramadan, spokesperson for Toronto police, said that police 'understand reports of these posters being torn down are upsetting for the community.'

'However, removing posters is not necessarily a criminal offence,' she said. 'Our focus remains on the investigation to find Esther.'

'While we understand how deeply concerning this case is for the community, we encourage anyone with information to please contact police, who have the resources to conduct a thorough missing persons investigation,' Ramadan said in a separate email.

In terms of where Esther could be a local Toronto neighborhood watch group in Toronto has a response.

'There's footage of her at Bathurst and Hotspur, [and] clear footage inside the Popeyes. That's the last confirmed footage that we have,' said Simmy Zieleniec, a spokesman for the Shomrim safety patrol.

Esther' Description

Esther is described as:

  • 5'2"
  • Medium build
  • Brown hair

Esther was last seen wearing:

  • Turquoise sweater with words on front (initially wearing green shirt)
  • Grey sweatpants
  • No shoes

Esther was last seen 'in the area of Earl Bales Park at Bathurst Street and Sheppard Avenue West,' according to Toronto Police.

During the weekend, Toronto police set up a dedicated website called FindEsther to collect tips and information that could help lead to finding her. There is also a telephone number to call that applies only to Esther's case: 647-355-4148.

The police also released a case exclusive QR code where people can share any possible photos or videos of Esther.

Advice From Someone who has Experience with Autistic Kids

Volunteer Victor Fisico whose son is also autistic provided some advice on how to find Esther.

'The thing about autism, kids with autism, their brains are like computers. So his brain is like a sponge. So everything he learns and sees and does, he soaks it all in. So I think it's the same thing with her,' Fisico said, possibly explaining that Esther was overwhelmed by something in her environment that happened before she ran away.

'Like my son said, she could always get food from somewhere. She could always ask for food and they'll give it to her. Cause he said that that's happened to him when he's ran away. He would go to a closest restaurant and they would give him food, he would look really upset and Here you go!' Fisico added.

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