Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair says the search for missing teenager Mariam Makhniashvili will likely expand out from the city as officers exhaust local leads in the case.
There has also been the suggestion that officials could look to the girl's native country of Georgia for clues.
But as the search entered its twelfth day Saturday, the girl's family expressed fear and anxiety over her mysterious disappearance.
As officers canvassed the family's midtown neighbourhood for new leads that could lead to her whereabouts, family members said they were growing more worried with each passing day.
CTV Toronto's John Musselman said that the family remained in their apartment for much of the day, glued to the telephone and hoping for the best.
"We are just waiting," said Vakhtang Makhniashvili, the girl's father. "We can't do anything more ... just sitting and waiting for the police."
He added that officers were examining images of the clothing that Mariam may have been wearing before she vanished close to her school nearly two weeks ago.
But Vakhtang Makhniashvili said he wasn't sure what new leads police were generating.
On Friday, police used dog teams and a helicopter armed with infrared cameras to search Earl Bales Park, which is massive recreational area which Mariam liked to visit over the summer. The park is about six kilometres north of the family home near Bathurst Street and Sheppard Avenue.
However, the search hasn't turned anything up, police say.
In Georgia, Mariam's grandmother said this week that the girl is a modest and obedient teen who was excited about re-uniting with her parents in Toronto.
Mariam was last seen walking to Forest Hill Collegiate on September 14. She had been walking with her brother, George, but broke away from him to use a different entrance.
She didn't make it to class that day and hasn't been heard from since.
