Toronto police are no closer to finding 17-year-old Mariam Makhniashvili than a year ago, according to a press conference Tuesday.
Staff Insp. Larry Sinclair told reporters that during the investigation, interviews and statements from hundreds of people, reviews of thousands of hours of video and searches in kilometres of green space have not revealed any fresh leads in the girl's disappearance.
Sinclair added that a task force of seasoned investigators were brought in by police chief Bill Blair last fall to see if any key evidence had been overlooked, and to bring what he called "fresh eyes" to the investigation. That audit determined, as Sinclair put it, that in the original investigation, "all that had to be done, was done."
Sinclair appealed directly to Makhniashvili, saying "please contact someone, someone you trust, and let us know where you are."
The lead investigator in the disappearance, Det. Sgt. Dan Nealon added that there is no evidence to suggest Makhniashvili met with any misadventure or accident; including abduction, luring or suicide, or that she ran away or fled the country.
Tips from across Canada and beyond have all been investigated and "proven to be false," he said.
"Which brings us us to one year and unfortunately, through all the work and efforts, we're still no further ahead than the day Mariam went missing," Nealon told the conference.
The missing girl's father, Vakhtang Makhniashvili, thanked police and his neighbourhood for doing their best to find his daughter. He also thanked the Missing Children Society of Canada (MCSC) for a $10,000 reward announced Monday. He called it a "generous and timely reward," adding he believes it may help find his daughter.
The teenage girl was last seen on Monday, Sept. 14, 2009 at 8:30 a.m. in the Bathurst Street and Eglinton Avenue West area. She had just walked her younger brother George to school at Forest Hill Collegiate Institute, dropping him off at the front entrance.
Makhniashvili had only lived in Toronto for a few months and had few friends at school, where she had only been attending classes for a few days prior to her disappearance.
The MCSC is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the whereabouts of the girl and anyone with information is urged to contact MCSC by telephone at 1-800-661-6160 or by email at tips@mcsc.ca.
Tips can also be left anonymously through CrimeStoppers at (416) 222-TIPS (8477), and can qualify for a cash reward up to $2,000 for information leading to her whereabouts.
