Latest news with #missingChild
BBC News
2 days ago
- BBC News
Guernsey Police appeal over 'distressed' child's welfare
Guernsey Police are appealing to the public for information after a young boy was seen in a "distressed state".Police said witnesses saw the boy near the Co-operative store at Les Camps at about 16:30 reported that the child, described as a black male aged about 10 to 11 years old, ran into the road and was nearly struck by a was last seen fleeing the area before officers arrived on the scene. The boy is described as relatively tall for his age, with a black afro hairstyle, and was wearing a brown T-shirt and brown shorts at the time of the Police said they were keen to locate the child to ensure his safety and wellbeing.
Daily Mail
30-06-2025
- Daily Mail
BREAKING NEWS Urgent hunt for missing boy, 10, who vanished wearing pyjama shorts and jacket with Pokemon balls on it
Police are searching for a missing 10-year-old boy who vanished while wearing his pyjamas. Oscar went missing from the Vespasian Road area of Andover in Hampshire at 5pm on Monday, June 30. He has been described by police as being white, 4ft tall, average build with blue eyes and thick bushy brown hair. He was last seen in black pyjama shorts with a black zip up jacket which had Pokemon balls on it. Police are appealing for anyone with information to come forward. A spokesperson for Hampshire Police said: 'Oscar, age 10, was last seen in the Vespasian Road area of Andover at around 5pm on today (Monday 30 June). 'He's described as: white, 4ft tall, average build with blue eyes and thick, bushy brown hair. Oscar was last seen wearing black pyjama shorts and a black zip up jacket with Pokemon balls on it. 'We have been carrying out extensive enquiries to locate Oscar, but we are growing increasingly concerned for his welfare. 'If you think you've seen Oscar since he went missing or think you might know where he is now, please call us immediately on 999 quoting 44250289386.'
Daily Mail
26-06-2025
- Daily Mail
Top cop in William Tyrrell investigation reveals heartbreaking text from missing boy's foster mum almost 11 years after he disappeared
The former lead detective in the William Tyrrell case has revealed the tragic text message he received from the missing boy's foster mother. Gary Jubelin led the investigation for four years after the three-year-old vanished while playing in his foster grandmother's front yard in the NSW Mid North Coast town of Kendall on September 12, 2014. Mr Jubelin left the force in 2019 after being accused of illegally recording a suspect in the Tyrrell investigation. He was convicted of the offence and fined $10,000. Mr Jubelin, who now hosts the podcast I Catch Killers, said earlier this year that he 'can't let it go' when talking about William's case. And this week, he revealed a text message sent to him from William's foster mother. 'Another birthday has come and gone; William would be turning 14 today (June 26) and it's been almost 11 years since we last held him, kissed him goodnight and told him we loved him,' it read. Mr Jubelin disagrees with some NSW Police staff who believe the foster mother had something to do with the boy's disappearance. Gary Jubelin led the investigation for four years after the three-year-old vanished while playing in his foster grandmother's front yard in the NSW Mid North Coast town of Kendall on September 12, 2014 'I have consistently and publicly stated I do not believe the foster mother was involved,' he wrote. 'There has been no evidence I have seen presented at this inquest into William's disappearance that suggests the foster mother's involvement.' In April 2022, William's foster mother was charged with giving false or misleading information about the boy's disappearance to a NSW Crime Commission hearing, but was found not guilty in November 2022. William's foster mother's text message continued on: 'With the passage of time, our love for him has not diminished; our determination to find out what happened to him has not diminished; our fight for those responsible to be held accountable has not diminished.' She also asked that Mr Jubelin share another message to anyone who has any information at all about the case. 'Please don't give up on William; he deserves more. Someone knows something; don't let the opportunity to help find William slip by. Please report any information that may assist Police find William directly to Crimestoppers on 1800 333 000 or whereswilliam@ Make the report today. Help us find our beautiful boy,' it read. 'That is a message from someone who wants answers to what happened to William and for people to be held accountable. She is not giving up hope,' Mr Jubelin wrote. The former top cop said he thought the case, which has nearly gone on for 11 years, could still be solved. 'Time and again, you see police crack cases that were previously unsolved,' he wrote. 'In William's case, I am aware of information obtained when I was working on the investigation that might provide answers. 'I have suggested that there should be an independent review of the investigation and let facts decide if mistakes were made.' An inquest into the disappearance of William finished up earlier this year, but no date has been set down for Deputy State Coroner Graham to hand down her findings.
CBS News
22-06-2025
- CBS News
Where is Patrick Alford Jr.? A New York City cold case investigation
"Cold Case with Alice Gainer" looks into disappearance of foster child in Brooklyn "Cold Case with Alice Gainer" looks into disappearance of foster child in Brooklyn "Cold Case with Alice Gainer" looks into disappearance of foster child in Brooklyn It was cold the night of Jan. 22, 2010, and witnesses say 7-year-old Patrick Alford Jr. wasn't dressed for the weather outside. He was merely throwing out the trash inside his apartment building, then he was supposed to head right back to his foster mother's apartment. But police say he seemingly vanished without a trace. Fifteen years later, he still hasn't been found. Patrick Alford Jr., 7, seemingly vanished without a trace from his foster mother's Brooklyn apartment in 2010. Photos provided Who is Patrick Alford Jr.? In 2010, CBS News New York reported that Patrick's biological mother, Jennifer Rodriguez, had admitted to being a drug addict and shoplifting, and she said she called child welfare for help. Rodriguez, who had been living on Staten Island at the time, then handed over custody of Patrick and his younger sister. Patrick was sent to live with a foster mother at the Spring Creek Towers Complex, formerly known as Starrett City, at 130 Vandalia Ave. in East New York, Brooklyn. At the time, CBS News New York reported police said Patrick had been with the foster mother for only three weeks, during which time he threatened to run away and said he wanted to go back to his biological mother. On Jan. 22, 2010, around 9 p.m., Patrick left the 11th-floor apartment to take out the trash and never returned. The elevator and stairwell were next to the trash compactor. Police K-9s were brought in to try to trace Patrick's steps. "The dog actually led them to a bus stop that was right around the corner from the building that he went missing from and that was it, that was where they lost the scent," retired NYPD Det. David Ramirez said. Thousands interviewed after child's disappearance in Brooklyn The police response was immediate and massive. Ramirez and Lt. Christopher Zimmerman, both now retired from the NYPD Missing Persons Squad, lived and breathed the case. Zimmerman, who was the commanding officer at the time, said they interviewed well over 8,000-9,000 people and knocked on over 14,000 doors. "We went around to the traffic cameras, to anybody who got a red light summons," he said. "Receipts for gas stations where people used credit cards. 'Did you see Patrick?' We interviewed bus drivers." Zimmerman continued, "We went as far as interviewing over 150 registered sex offenders, and we came up with nothing on that." Ramirez and Zimmerman added that the Department of Environment Protection and emergency services even searched a nearby water treatment plant. "Everybody was in. Every asset," Zimmerman said. Patrick Alford Jr., 7, seemingly vanished without a trace from his foster mother's Brooklyn apartment in 2010. CBS News New York Patrick's foster mother was on the phone when he left with the garbage, according to Zimmerman. "I had a good vibe about her intentions. From not expecting anybody, the house was immaculate. Her past history as a foster mother was incredible, never a complaint. She meant well and she was visibly upset. This was rocking this woman," he said. "Not that you ever turn a blind eye, you always keep your eye open a little bit just in case something pops up, but she was pretty credible at the time." CBS News New York tried getting in touch with the foster mother multiple times, but was unable to speak with her. Neighbors who have lived in the same building at the Spring Creek Towers Complex for decades had kind words. "Been in my building for years. Nice lady, foster kids," neighbor Tracy Ball said. "I had seen [Patrick] many times. Not that day. His foster mom, she had other kids and I would see her. Nice lady," neighbor Natalie Thomas said. Both women vividly remember the night Patrick went missing. "I always wonder about him, always wonder," Ball said. They also remember another thing missing from that time period – fear. "It was like he just disappeared, which we all thought was kind of strange," Thomas said. "There was no fear, that's why I said it just seemed maybe orchestrated." Missing child's biological mother says she regrets giving up custody A family court judge tossed Patrick's biological mother in jail, believing she was hiding Patrick and demanding she turn him over. CBS News New York reported back in 2010 that Rodriguez took a lie detector test and passed when she said she didn't know where Patrick was, but failed when she said she didn't know anything about his disappearance or how he got away. "I think that's bullcrap because I don't know nothing," Rodriguez said at the time. Late CBS News New York reporter Pablo Guzmán sat down with Rodriguez early in the investigation. "You're the one that the police and the judge, everybody's focusing on," Guzmán said. "I don't know why, and it's not fair for me because I don't have anything to do with it and I don't have anything to hide," Rodriguez said. Patrick Alford Jr., 7, seemingly vanished without a trace from his foster mother's Brooklyn apartment in 2010. Photo provided CBS News New York spoke with Rodriguez again four years later, in 2014, and she recently spoke with CBS News New York's Alice Gainer via Zoom. "I do not know where my son is," said Rodriguez, now 38. Rodriguez was 22 years old when Patrick went missing and was a single mother to three children. She said she gave up custody fully intending to eventually get her children back. "To get the help that I needed to be a better person, a better parent. That's why I did it. I had no choice," she said. "I was a good mom. I mean, I had mental health issues." She wasn't cut off from contact, though, and she spoke to Patrick's foster mother. "He was placed with a foster mother that spoke strictly Spanish," Rodriguez said. "She used to tell me that he would, like, try to run off and that he was hard to deal with." She also spoke with Patrick, who she says couldn't communicate with his foster mother since he only spoke English. "It was always so crushing like, 'Mommy, I want to come home. Please. I love you.' It just takes my breath talking about it because I can hear his little voice. He didn't understand what was going on," Rodriguez said. "I regretted it. I was like, what did I do?" "Patrick vanished" Rodriguez remembers all the heat on her after Patrick went missing. "It was the most scariest and traumatic time in my life. I was like, my son is missing and you're locking me up? I felt so hopeless because it's like, I'm in jail, you're focusing on me, and he's out there," Rodriguez said. Rodriguez thinks that maybe her son did initially try to run away, but then something happened to him. "Maybe he's like, 'I'm getting out of here.' You know, kid being a kid. I'm thinking somebody took him. Ain't no way he gonna just disappear," she said. "A normal person would be like, 'OK, let's go find your family.' Patrick vanished. Vanished." Zimmerman said police didn't find anything that would've tied Rodriguez to the disappearance. Patrick's biological parents won a $6 million settlement after they filed a federal lawsuit against city agencies involved in the case. It's been put in a trust for Patrick if he returns home. Police also say Patrick's biological father cooperated with the investigation. He recently died. Zimmerman said police checked on relatives outside of the New York City area and flushed out tips that came in from as far away as Minnesota, Indiana, North Carolina, Puerto Rico and Florida. "There was a lot of theories," Zimmerman said. At one point, there was a private investigator involved in the case. CBS News New York has not heard back from them. "Eventually, the truth's gonna come out" Today, the Missing Persons Squad has a cabinet filled with thousands of files dedicated to the Patrick Alford case. "I always go back to these files, give it a fresh look," NYPD Det. Ezequiel Burgos said. "The case is still an active case," NYPD Lt. Christopher Torrisi said. "And we canvas the area multiple times a year." Torrisi said the department has received many tips, but none have panned out. "We've gone to other countries where other people have seen him, supposedly," he said. Still, nothing has been ruled out. Left: Patrick Alford Jr., 7, in 2010; Right: A digitally produced age progression photo showing what Patrick may look like today at age 22 Photos provided Patrick would be 22 years old now. Zimmerman said he believes Patrick is still alive, and if he is out there somewhere, living his life, it's still important to call police. "Those resources, if he's found alive and healthy, could be elsewhere helping another case," Zimmerman said. "Eventually, the truth's gonna come out, and somebody knows something about where he is or what happened," Ramirez said. Rodriguez said she still celebrates her son's birthday every year and has a message for him. "I love you. If there's any way out there for you to find a way home safely, to come home ... We never gave up on you," she said. "We pray about you every single day." CrimeStoppers is offering a $13,000 reward for information in this case. Anyone who knows anything is asked to call 1-800-577-8477 (TIPS).
National Post
18-06-2025
- National Post
Missing Quebec girl, 3, found safe after bizarre disappearance that led to charge against mother
The Father's Day disappearance of three-year-old Claire Bell was bizarre from the start, and as the frantic search for the missing Montreal girl stretched into its fourth day the escalating strangeness of the case was pointing to a dark ending. But then came joyful news. Claire had been found alive. Article content The missing girl was found by police in eastern Ontario, about 150 kilometres from her home in Montreal, on Wednesday afternoon. She was found in the St-Albert region after a strange and shifting investigation and large, intensive ground and air search. Article content Article content Article content As the news broke, some signs pointed to a parental dispute, perhaps designed to coincide with Father's Day or perhaps fuelled by other concerns and desperation. Article content Article content The case had galvanized the public. Claire's mother was already under arrest. There was a dead dog and a mysterious witness described as a farm woman wearing an apron, the Montreal Gazette reported. Hundreds of police and specialized civilians were scouring woods and highway ditches over a huge area, all while a flurry of dramatic social media posts preceding the disappearance showed the erratic mother variously upset, sad and angry . Article content Something distressing happened at some point in the next few hours. Article content News that tiny Claire was missing was revealed about six hours later when her mother, Rachel Todd, 34, stopped her SUV at a roadside fireworks and souvenir store about 55 kilometres west of where Claire was last seen. Police said she told an employee she had lost her child and didn't know where she was. An employee told CBC the woman ran into the store in a panic and said she couldn't remember what happened. Article content The mother's 3:30 p.m. statement at the store on St-Emmanuel Rd. in Coteau-du-Lac triggered a police investigation that quickly grew to a large search growing incrementally in scope and seriousness. Article content Five hours later, the Sûreté du Québec, the province's provincial police force, issued a public alert announcing Claire was missing. Article content Police included a photo of the girl, with her brown curly hair, kneeling outdoors while drawing on an easel, a coloured marker gripped in each of her hands. She is described as three feet tall, wearing a white long-sleeved shirt with a red collar, grey pants and no shoes. Article content 'Loved ones,' the release said in French, 'have reason to fear for her health and safety.' Article content 'Our specialist teams are currently deployed across various sectors to carry out intensive research,' the police added on X two hours later. 'All necessary resources are being mobilized to find the child as quickly as possible.' Article content #disparition de Claire Bell 3 ans, de LaSalle, vue pour la dernière fois hier vers 11h00 dans le secteur du boul. Newman, LaSalle. Nous ignorons où elle pourrait se trouver. *Il n'y pas d'Alerte Amber car les critères ne sont pas rencontrés* — Sûreté du Québec (@sureteduquebec) June 16, 2025 Article content The search for Claire continued for days, stretching from an apartment in Montreal, believed to be where Todd lived, west through rural terrain and highways and into Ontario. Article content On Monday afternoon, the search took a darker tone when a dog matching the description of Claire's pet, Hazel, a Chihuahua, was found dead in a Montreal suburb near Highway 30, which is a direct route between Montreal and the fireworks shop. The cause of the dog's death has not been released. Article content Police asked the public for information from anyone who might have seen a grey 2007 Ford Escape with licence plate number K5O FVE on Sunday. The vehicle has a yellow 'baby on board' sticker on the rear windshield. Article content Hours before Claire's disappearance, she appeared with her mother in an alarming selfie video posted online on TikTok. Article content Speaking English, through gritted teeth, staring intently into the camera and holding Claire tight to her chest, Todd spoke one line: 'You try that again, and this is going to get ugly.'
