A widespread urgent call for public assistance has been launched to help law enforcement track down a 7-year-old autistic girl, who authorities say was removed from outside her family residence in Newfield Village during Saturday afternoon hours.
The account of the incident comes from the child’s mother, Marsha Christopher, who told investigators that her daughter left the area with the girl’s father, who was operating a white Honda Fit compact sedan at the time of the incident. As of the latest update, official records have not yet released the vehicle’s license plate registration number to the public.
According to Christopher, a formal court order already governs the father’s access to his daughter, mandating that he only receive one hour of supervised visitation with the child every Saturday. The mother went on to explain that a dispute unfolded on the day of the incident: the father requested permission to take the child out for visitation on a different day, Monday, and Christopher turned down that request. Immediately following that disagreement, Christopher says, the father departed the area with the 7-year-old in his vehicle.
Christopher also told investigators that the father had previously spoken about plans to relocate the child to the Caribbean island nation of Dominica. To date, independent verification of that claim has not been completed, and no official finding of criminal wrongdoing or liability has been issued against any party in connection with the incident.
Law enforcement has emphasized that the top and most immediate priority of the ongoing search effort is locating the young girl as quickly as possible and confirming that she is unharmed and safe.
Officials are urging any member of the public who spots the child, or observes a white Honda Fit matching the description connected to this case, to reach out to local police right away. Public safety representatives have explicitly warned that civilians should not attempt to approach, stop, or confront any person they believe to be involved in the incident, to avoid putting any party at unnecessary risk.
In addition to contacting local police stations, people with relevant tips can also reach out directly to Marsha Christopher at the contact number 775-1304 to share any information that could advance the search.