Missing Toronto girl found safe after nearly two weeks, police say

TORONTO – A 14-year-old Toronto girl whose disappearance from North York sparked an intensive search has been found safe after nearly two weeks, police said Thursday. 

The teen was found in a home around 1 p.m. Thursday, police said. Esther, who is on the autism spectrum, looked to be in “good physical health” and was being assessed in hospital, said Supt. Don Belanger. 

“Our investigation will now turn to whether or not there is any evidence of criminality associated to her prolonged disappearance,” Belanger said.

Thursday’s brief police news conference sparked a flurry of questions from reporters regarding the circumstances under which Esther was found, most of which remained unanswered. 

When asked what led police to the home, and whether they were called by someone inside the house, Belanger did not respond directly, instead referring to the “painstaking” video canvasses undertaken by investigators. 

“That’s certainly contributed to us to getting to where we are today,” he said. 

Officers and volunteers led parallel efforts to find the girl, who police said was initially reported missing from the Earl Bales Park area on May 15. 

Officers, canine units and community members picked apart the North York park as drones whirred overhead looking for any signs of Esther. Police would later say her last reported sighting was just after midnight near Bathurst Street and Hotspur Road on May 16.

The search was upgraded last week to a Level 1 operation, a rare designation police say was used in only five of nearly 3,100 missing person reports last year.

A police tipline and website were set up for the investigation while Jewish community groups helped rally volunteers and set up search parties to look for the teen, who family members called “Esti.” 

“I just want to start by saying that thousands of people came out to help from all walks of life, not just from our community, but from the entire community,” Maureen Leshem, who acted as a spokesperson for the family during the search, told reporters Thursday. 

“We can breathe again.”

Esther’s parents voiced their relief in a statement later Thursday afternoon as they asked for privacy to focus on their daughter’s well-being.

“To be clear, while this is the end of the search, Esti still needs proper medical care, evaluation, and support, and our family is focused on making sure she is surrounded by the love and care she needs in the days ahead,” they said. 

“We are incredibly grateful she is home, but we are still taking things moment by moment, and we ask that people refrain from speculating.”

As the search dragged on this week, the family announced a $25,000 reward backed by anonymous donors for information leading to Esther’s safe return. 

Posters put up by volunteers were reportedly torn down in some places, a development roundly criticized by police and Leshem. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 28, 2026.