Toronto police still searching for missing 14-year-old girl

A $25,000 reward is being offered for information that leads to the safe return of a missing 14-year-old Toronto girl. Steve Ryan has the latest.

It’s now been 10 days since a 14-year-old girl named Esther went missing from Toronto’s north end.

The teen, who is affectionately known as Esti, was last seen shortly after midnight on May 16, near Bathurst Street and Hotspur Road, just south of Highway 401.

She had been seen 30 minutes earlier at North York’s Earl Bales Park, near Bathurst Street and Sheppard Avenue West.

There are some unofficial reports that she has since been spotted getting on a bus downtown and near Eglinton Avenue West and Bathurst Street, but police are not confirming any other sightings of her since May 16.

“We do not want people to assume Esther is still in a particular area based on information that may no longer be current,” a media officer told CTV News Toronto on Tuesday.

Esther is described as five foot two with a medium build and brown hair. She wore a turquoise sweater with words on the front, grey sweatpants that are loose at the ankles, and possibly no shoes, police said.

Both police and her family are extremely concerned for her safety and have shared that she is on the autism spectrum.

A Level One search continues for the teen, with police deploying a “highly skilled and experienced investigative team working full-time” to try and find her. A command post also remains in place at Earl Bales Park.

Over the weekend, investigators also released a new photo of Esther and announced a new website for people to share information about her whereabouts.

“The smallest tip may be the key to locating Esther,” Nadine Ramadan, of Toronto Police Service, said.

“The search for Esther remains active and ongoing, and we’re asking people across the city to stay alert and report any possible sightings to police immediately.”

Hundreds of community members have also been working tirelessly to find Esther, putting up posters across the city, some of which have since been torn down.

Further, volunteers have also set up a separate command post on Wilson Avenue, near Bathurst Street, and are offering a $25,000 reward for information that will lead to Esther’s safe return.

• READ MORE: $25K reward offered in search for missing teen as family speaks out about vandalism of posters

Anyone with information about Esther’s whereabouts is asked to contact Toronto police at 647-355-4148 or online, or Crime Stoppers anonymously.