Ottawa police say a tip from the public led officers on Wednesday to safely locate an 11-year-old girl who had been missing for more than two weeks.
Police found Nakayla Baskin at a residence in Ottawa’s east end shortly after 11:30 a.m., a news release from the Ottawa Police Service (OPS) said.
“It’s a great relief … very comforting to find the young girl safe,” OPS spokesperson Const. Chuck Benoit said over the phone.
Benoit said he couldn’t provide any further details about Baskin’s condition when police officers found her, saying the investigation into her disappearance is still active.
“There’s not much I’m able to give and we’re also trying to keep the privacy of this matter,” Benoit said. “We won’t release any more information at this time until investigators give us more.”
Benoit said no charges have been laid so far in connection to this case.
Baskin had been last seen on Sept. 24 and police reported her missing the next day. Over the following two weeks, the search for the young girl triggered involvement across the police force, including missing persons investigators and patrol officers, Benoit said.
The force’s major crimes unit then took over late last week. On Saturday, investigators released an image of a vehicle they believed to be associated with Baskin’s disappearance, asking the public to help them identify the car so they could locate and speak to the driver.
Baskin’s family also got involved in the campaign to find the 11-year-old girl. They issued an emotional appeal in a video released to the public on Oct. 1, begging Baskin to come home and imploring residents to contact police if they knew anything about her whereabouts.
As for the tip from the public that led officers to Baskin’s location, Benoit said he doesn’t have confirmation on whether police received it before or after their latest update over the weekend.
In their release on Wednesday, police thanked members of the public and the media for their help over the course of the search.
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