A 13-year-old missing person from Ladysmith has been located and is safe, police said. RCMP investigators said Thursday they believed Payton MacDonald was with an acquaintance of his father. the father has been taken into custody. On Friday morning, they issued a statement saying the investigation was “successfully completed”. Out of respect for the family’s privacy, they did not provide details on where or how he was found. Payton, who lived on a sailboat with her father, was last seen on March 15. She was reported missing on March 17 after the Ladysmith RCMP was called by the Ministry of Children and Family Development to check on her well-being, but could not find her. “We invite anyone with Payton to come and talk to the investigators. … We must ensure its prosperity “, RCMP Cpl. Alex Bérubé said on Thursday. The ministry had a court order asking Peyton’s father to reveal her whereabouts, but he refused. He was arrested for violating the court decision and was released on bail on March 18. She was re-arrested on March 23 for not revealing her whereabouts to ministry officials and remains in custody, Beroube said. Bérubé said there was no indication that Payton was in immediate danger. “All we know is that he has been missing for two weeks. And the more it is lost, the greater our concern for its well-being. “Therefore, it is important for us to determine that it is safe and that it is detected as soon as possible.” Staff Sgt. Darrell Sandbach said that the social media posts that said that Peyton is not missing and that he is in a camp for the spring holidays are not true. “What we also know is that there is a 13-year-old girl who is still being ignored and there are a lot of people who are worried about her safety,” he said. Payton’s mother is not in the picture and her father has full custody, Sandback said. Bérubé could not speculate as to whether anyone hosting Payton could be prosecuted. The Ministry of Child and Family Development said it could not comment publicly or confirm the ministry’s involvement with any individual or family. “Whenever concerns are raised with the ministry about a child’s safety, we will look into and take appropriate action,” the ministry said in an email. “In some cases, this may involve cooperating with the police to ensure the safety of a child.” [email protected]
