Missing 14-year-old Esther found: what we know so far

There's a lot of bad news out in the world and unfortunately if it's news we report on it and we talk about it but we got to take the wins where we get them and today this is a very big win.It's a big win for a family, for a community and I would say for an entire city.Esther, 14 year old girl in Toronto who went missing on May 15th.and was subject to a level one police search, which is the highest level, used only in five of 3 ,100 missing person cases a year, has been found by the police.Five, two, medium, but she's 14, she's a little girl.Little girl gone for so long, the pain and anguish and worry and torment that her family and friends and her neighborhood and community and those who knew her and know her and love her must have been going through.

Um, at least a big chunk of that can be laid to rest now that she is safely, uh, in hospital receiving, uh, some sort of treatment right now and not for nothing, but she is on the spectrum.and multiple sources confirmed it and it's a particular type of diagnosis where I've heard she's had issues before where loud noises can trigger her flight response and she's left places because of loud noises and that's apparently one of the might have been the precipitating event.So there was a press conference by the police and let's just go with the first clip.

I can advise that she was located in a home here in Toronto.Our investigation will now turn to whether or not there is any evidence of criminality associated to her prolonged disappearance.

Thank you very much Intrepid.He was listening along and he was taking notes.So I'm going to give you my best interpretation of the back and forth between the press and this police officer.He was asked what led you to the home in Etobicoke.And for those of you who don't know Toronto, it used to be its own city.It's part of Toronto now.

If you're on your way to the airport, you're on your way to Etobicoke.Um, no comment.What led you to them?No comment.Next phase is asking if criminality is involved.All right.

Yeah, that's what he just said.Nobody has been charged.Nobody has been arrested.Nobody's in custody right now.But won't say what led them to the home.She was located at 1 p .

m.She's at the hospital right now.We don't know the age of the male because the police won't say.She does appear to be in good physical condition.However, that needs to be confirmed.And it was a massive search.

And it was a tough search.Let's listen to number four.

We have been painstakingly conducting video canvases.From video canvases we move into search mode, additional video located, we move into further search mode.It's a painstaking, long process as you can appreciate.

But that certainly contributed to us to getting to where we are today.But there also was a $25 ,000 reward that was offered to community members for any tips that led to her being found and brought back to her family.The police will not say if a tip led to her being found.But this is wonderful news, and people from all over the country are posting about this online.And I'm glad the light beat out the darkness on this, because this morning,story was of people tearing down the missing posters of this young 14 year old who had been, I don't know, taken from her family or just separated from her family.

That's what we can say right now.And through some misguided sense of freedom in Palestine, perhaps some people were doing that.This 14 year old who probably couldn't find Israel on a map.And you were you in your self -righteousness Thought you were doing the world a kindness by making it harder for people to find this girl And so I'm glad that we don't have to focus on those people who have proven themselves to be the worst Among us the worst bottom feeder isn't even a good enough description of what those people did I would be I I don't think I have to say this I think you know me well enough that I would be saying this if the young child was from anywhere, any child that finds themselves separated from their family and their loved ones.I would want us to be working fearlessly and tirelessly until we found them.And religion and culture and identity, none of that matters.

What matters is the identity of the child, identifying them as a child.And our children need our help, whoever they are and wherever they come from.

But you know what, though?I mean, as negative as that is, let's look at something really, really positive.All my years as a journalist, how rare it was when somebody went missing after 10 days for somebody to be found.And just that fact, that fact alone is remarkable.We don't know all the circumstances, actually we know very few circumstances.

And frankly, the silence on who the guy is, where the house is,how old he was, all of that, I mean, they're just inviting us like, okay, that's the next chapter in this story.I mean, for a lot of people, they found her and that's really the most important thing.But now, why was she in that house?Who was this guy?What was going on in that house?

Those are now the questions that need to be answered.

Well, if this person's not charged or arrested yet, we don't have no idea.It's a gen and they have to look into criminality.It's not obvious to them.Yeah, then It leads us down a lot of different roads, but none of them are good either.

For all we know, he found her five minutes before they got there.We don't know yet.He found her and he was about to call them.We don't know.And I am not about to cast aspersions.She's been found.

The cops aren't saying anything yet.So I'm not going to lead that charge at all.Esther has been found.Today is a good day.Today is a good day, like I said, for the light pushing back against the dark.Thanks so much for watching the show.

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