Ayla Reynolds Missing: 20-Month-Old Girl Disappears In Waterville, Maine

Toddler Vanishes From Bed In Maine

A frantic search is underway for a 20-month-old Maine girl who vanished from her bed.

Ayla Reynolds was last seen by her father, Justin DiPietro, when he put her to sleep in her own bedroom at around 8 p.m. on Friday. The following day at around 8:50 a.m., he called police to report that his daughter had vanished overnight.

During a weekend where temperatures dipped as low as 6 degrees in the small city of Waterville, investigators from multiple agencies including the FBI searched for Reynolds, who was last seen wearing a soft splint on her left arm and green pajamas with polka dots that said "Daddy's Princess" on the front.

"She was only in a pair of pajamas and it was imperative for us to bring all of the resources we could as quickly as we could to try to locate her," Waterville Police Chief Joseph Massey said during a press conference.

Authorities have not ruled out the possibility that Reynolds was abducted, the Morning Sentinel reports.

SEE PHOTOS FROM THE SEARCH FOR AYLA REYNOLDS:

Ayla Reynolds

Ayla Reynolds

"There are two possibilities. She could have walked out of the house. She was able to walk," Massey told The Portland Press Herald.

"Her mobility would have been quite limited with the soft cast on her arm. We think it would be very, very difficult for her to open the door and get herself out. We don’t think she could have gone very far.

The other possibility, Massey told the paper, is abduction. "We're certainly looking at that. It's very concerning."

Reynolds is described as 2 feet, 9 inches tall, about 30 pounds, with short blonde hair and blue eyes, according to a Facebook page dedicated to the missing toddler.

Investigators say the child injured her arm during a fall about three weeks ago.

Reynolds lived with her mother, Trista Reynolds, and her grandmother in Portland until the toddler was removed from their custody by the state's Department of Health and Human Services in October, the girl's maternal grandparents told the Kennebec Journal.

The child's parents and relatives have been "completely cooperative," investigators told reporters this weekend.

Local police have brought in outside agencies including the state police and the Maine Warden Service to assist in the search. On Sunday, authorities attempted to use police dogs to track the girl's scent.

Massey has asked the public for assistance and urged anyone with information about the case to contact the Waterville Police Department at (207) 680-4700.

"We need more than just us," he told reporters. "We need the help of the general public out there."

The Waterville Police Department declined to respond to inquiries from The Huffington Post on Monday morning. A press conference is scheduled for 2 p.m.

Popular in the Community

Close

What's Hot