B.C. missing teen not seen since March 15 located safe and sound, police say

RCMP on Vancouver Island say the missing 13-year-old girl who was last seen on March 15 has been found “safe and sound.”

Payton MacDonald was the subject of a report with the Ministry of Child and Family Development (MCFD) on March 16 when staff asked Ladysmith RCMP for assistance in checking on her well-being.

Police said the teen was not located and her father was arrested for disobeying a court order.

The MCFD had a Family Court Order which directed MacDonald’s dad to immediately disclose her whereabouts.

“Unfortunately, Payton’s father was not cooperative and was subsequently arrested and released from custody at a bail hearing on March 18, 2022,” RCMP said in a release.

“Since being released Payton’s father continued to disobey the court order and was arrested again on March 23, 2022.”

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He now remains in custody with his next appearance on April 5.
“With this positive update, in order to respect the privacy of those involved, the RCMP will not provide further information as to where or how she was found and will leave that to the family if they chose to publicly speak to it,” RCMP said in a release Friday.

1:34 What happens when a person goes missing in B.C.?