Police believe a 15-year-old girl who disappeared from Bristol more than a fortnight ago after saying she was going to the shops has been abducted.
Maddie Thomas went missing from the Southmead area, north of the city centre, where she lives with a foster family, on 26 April.
Avon and Somerset police has become increasingly worried about the girl and officers now say they believe she has been abducted by a man.
DI Laura Miller said: “We are no longer investigating Maddie’s disappearance as a missing person case but as a child abduction.”
Maddie has gone missing before and been found as far away as London, Birmingham, Cardiff and Bedfordshire, typically after being contacted by men on the internet.
Miller said: “When Maddie has previously gone missing she has been found in the company of adult men and it is mainly due to this history that we believe she is likely to currently be with someone.
“Maddie is a child in foster care – no one has permission to keep her from her carers. She is vulnerable and at risk of being taken advantage of. We’re really concerned about her safety and have a dedicated team working extremely hard to locate her.
“We have a number of lines of inquiry and while we’ve had great deal of help from the public to date for which we’re incredibly grateful, we still need more.”
Officers have been viewing CCTV footage in Southmead and made house-to-house visits. “But Maddie could be anywhere in the country and so we really need our appeal to be shared and reported on as widely as possible,” said Miller.
“We’re asking anyone who sees Maddie to call 999 immediately and anyone who speaks to her or sees her online to call 101. Maddie – if you see this please contact us if you can to let us know you’re safe. Everyone is worried about you.”
