It’s been one week since 14-year-old Esther disappeared and her distraught family made a fresh appeal for the public’s help in finding the missing teen on Friday.
Speaking to media, Esther’s mother Shira said her daughter is vulnerable given that she is on the autism spectrum and they are very worried she might be harmed.
“She’s very, very smart [but] I worry that she’s going to be too trusting, that somebody will have ill intentions. I don’t know where she is so it’s really, really concerning,” she said.
“She’s very generous and caring. If she sees somebody that she thinks needs help, she would go above and beyond to help them.”
Esther’s father Joseph described her as extremely intelligent and articulate.
“She thinks 10 steps ahead of everybody else,” he said.
Esther was seen around 11:15 p.m. on Friday, May 15, in the Earl Bales Park area in North York. At the time, she was wearing a long-sleeved turquoise sweater with words on it and grey pants. She did not have shoes on and her mother confirmed that her shoes and phone are at home.
Police added on Thursday that the teen was last spotted just after midnight on Saturday, May 16 in the Bathurst Street and Hotspur Road area, which is almost three kilometres south of the park.
Her parents said she did not have experience with taking transit but it is possible she could have gotten on a bus, for example, because “she’s brilliant. She can figure out what she doesn’t know,” Shira said.
Both parents once again asked for the public to keep an eye out for Esther and encouraged sharing any footage or photos with police.
“If anyone was on transit and maybe thought they saw someone that looked like her, it would be very helpful if they called in that tip and maybe police can view the footage,” said Joseph.
He added that Esther is very social and might be responsive if someone were to speak to her, without using her name.
“We need the public to be our eyes and our ears,” said Shira.
On Thursday, Toronto police said they are dedicating a significant amount of effort and resources to finding Esther. The operation is a Level 1 search, which allows for the mobilization of multiple different units including marine, canine and mounted police as well as collaboration with other investigative units.
In addition, police have created a dedicated phone line for the public to call in any tips they might have about Esther.
Anyone with information is asked to call 647-355-4148 or call Crime Stoppers at 416-222-TIPS (8477) if they wish to remain anonymous.
To submit video or photos, a QR code has been created and when scanned, it will open the Toronto Police Service evidence submission portal
Scan this QR code to upload any photos and videos related to this investigation:
Add CityNews Toronto as a trusted source on Google to see more local stories from us.
