Missing Toronto Jewish girl has been found and is safe: police

National Post
Police released this updated image of Esther on Saturday.

Toronto police say they have located Esther, a 14-year-old Jewish girl who has been missing since May 15.

“Esther, 14, was located by police and is safe,” they said in a social media post. “More information will be provided at the Command Post in Earl Bales Park at 3 p.m.”

Americans shocked at people ripping posters of Esther: ‘Hey, Canada. What’s wrong with you?’

Canadian Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre had added his voice to the growing chorus of outrage over the tearing down of posters that have been put up to aid in the search for the missing 14-year-old.

Even American commentators and international media are taking notice of the events in Ontario’s capital.

“‘Cruel’ vandals rip down posters for missing Jewish teen girl who vanished in Toronto,” reads a headline in the New York Post . The article added, over the image of a partially torn-down poster: “The bungling yobs even left behind evidence by not even fully removing the posters.”

“This is one of the sickest things I’ve ever seen in my life,” Jeff Feldman, a debt advisory consultant based in New York, wrote on X in response to a story in Britain’s Daily Mail. “Pure evil. Humanity is in a sad place.”

Texas politician Cameron Carlisle added: “The Jewish people are literally under attack around the world. It’s time to start speaking up & taking action against this vile & antisemitic behavior!”

“Hey, Canada. What’s wrong with you?” posted Montreal/New York-based X account LGBT for Israel . “Has this level of hate always been here, just dormant? Did we simply miss it all these years? Or is this what humans so often do when given a cheap, socially approved scapegoat … one that’s easy and safe to attack?”

Esther, affectionately known as Esti, was reported missing on Friday, May 15, in the area of Earl Bales Park , a large green space located at Bathurst Street and Sheppard Avenue West in the northern part of the city.

“Tearing down the notice of a missing 14 year old autistic girl, simply because she is Jewish, is evil on so many levels that I don’t even know where to start,” Poilievre wrote in a post on X on Thursday. “Vile hatred against Jews is moving from an ugly sentiment to dangerous actions. We must end this now. And make Canada a safe place for Jews and all people.”

“This is shocking and disappointing,” the embassy of Israel in Canada wrote in a post on X. “Jew-hate is getting in the way of a missing girl being brought to safety. In Canada. In 2026. May Esti come home as soon as possible.”

Poilievre’s and the embassy’s reactions were in response to a widely shared post that alleged the woman photographed started to tear down some posters before she was stopped. The original post appears to have come from a Toronto resident posting on Facebook under the name Shana Ti. National Post has reached out to her for comments.

“I just stopped this woman from tearing off one of the posters of Esther at Christie and Dupont. She said. ‘Stop looking for her’ And started tearing off the poster. And I said ‘don’t tear off that poster’ and she said ‘why are you talking to me stranger?’ and I said ‘that is a poster of a missing 14-year-old girl do not remove it’ and she walked away and I took these photos.” said the post on Facebook on Thursday.

On Reddit , a post by a user named TaddyG showed a montage of hydro poles in which the posters had been ripped away, leaving just fragments.

People keep ripping down posters of Esti, the missing child from North York
byu/TaddyG intoronto

Possible sighting of Esther at subway, family says

A post to X by Toronto writer Dan Levy noted that a possible photo of Esther was shared publicly, along with information that she may have been seen at a subway station.

“At this time nothing has been confirmed,” said family spokesperson Maureen Leshem. “Out of respect for the integrity of the search and to allow teams to properly follow up on active leads, the command post will be paused today and Friday, as we continue coordinating and strategizing with police.”

She added: “Decisions are being made carefully, based on incoming information in coordination with the appropriate people and, as always, with the family’s permission and best interests at heart.”

She urged people to continue postering and keep their eyes open, while cautioning against “speculation, assumptions or sharing unconfirmed information as it can create confusion and impact ongoing efforts to properly investigate leads.”

A poster for Esther, taken on Bayview Avenue in Toronto on Wednesday, May 20.

Family discloses Esther’s medical condition, announces $25,000 reward for her ‘safe return’

Last week, Toronto police said they have elevated the search for Esther to Priority 1 status, the highest level of response and one that mobilizes extensive resources like specialized K-9 units, drones, mounted officers and large-scale ground searches, in addition to community outreach.

Esther is described as 5-foot-2, medium build, with brown hair, and was last seen wearing grey sweatpants, a green shirt and no shoes. The family also told police that she had previously been diagnosed as being on the spectrum.

Esther’s family also announced a $25,000 reward for any information leading to her “safe return.”

In a press conference last week, Toronto police announced a dedicated phone line of 647-355-4148 for anyone with information that could assist their search. They can also call 911, Toronto police directly at 416-808-3200, or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS (8477) or at www.222tips.com.

“Anyone with information, no matter how small, please come forward,” Toronto Police Inspector Jon Rose said at the time.

National Post has reached out to police for more information.

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