A 2-year-old girl and her parents are missing after they failed to return from a camping trip in Maine, prompting fears about their safety and pleas for the public’s help for information, Fox 23 reports.
Police say that 28-year-old Jill Sidebotham, 38-year-old Nicholas Hansen and their 2-year-old daughter Lydia Hansen were expected to return from the trip by June 30, but thus far they haven’t.
Sidebotham’s mother reportedly said that she was first concerned about the trip because Hansen unexpectedly showed up and asked her daughter to join him camping.
Sidebotham and Hansen are separated, and she and the 2-year-old girl live with her parents in Sanford, Maine.
“My wife said she tried to stop her, but [Jill] said it would be fine,” Ron Sidebotham told the Boston Globe.
Sidebotham was supposed to spend time with her 10-year-old son on June 30, and the fact that she didn’t show up for the visit is unfathomable, according to Sidebotham’s parents.
Hansen, Sidebotham and their daughter were reportedly planning to camp near Phillips, Maine, about 130 miles north of Sanford.
Kris Martin, Nicholas Hansen’s sister, told the Globe that she was concerned upon learning that her brother had gone missing with his daughter and ex-girlfriend.
“I’m kind of losing hope that they’re going to find them,” Martin told the Globe. “I wish somebody would say something. Somebody’s got to know something. . . . I worry that there’s a 2-year-old out there alone.”
Corey Alexander, Sidebotham’s fiancé, described her as a devoted mother and partner. He said he realized something was amiss when she stopped responding to his text messages.
“We had plans for the weekend,” Alexander told the Globe. “We were going to do stuff with the kids for the Fourth, and we were just going to have a nice, long weekend together. And then Friday came around, and I realized she wasn’t answering me. I knew something was wrong, something in my gut was just telling me that this isn’t right.”
Alexander added: “Her phone has been off since last Wednesday. I’ve been devastated ever since she didn’t answer. It’s tearing me apart. . . . I want them both home. I want them home so we can get married. I want to spend the rest of my life with her. I love her more than anything.”
Investigators say neither Sidebotham’s nor Hansen’s phone has received or sent signals since late June. Sidebotham’s phone was most recently active on June 28, while Hansen’s phone ended communications on June 29.
Authorities have determined that the parents and girl visited a Walmart in Mexico, Maine, on July 2, where they purchased food. Security camera footage does not appear to show anything concerning, according to a Facebook post from the Sanford Police Department.
Police believe the trio are traveling in a silver 2005 Volkswagen Jetta with Maine license plate number 1563VJ. The vehicle has a black rear bumper.
Investigators told WGME-TV they have no reason to suspect foul play or that a crime has occurred.
However, Reta Lyman, Sidebotham’s sister, wrote in a Facebook post that she is concerned for her sister’s safety.
“[Sidebotham] was last [seen] with my niece’s father, who is not a stable person,” Lyman wrote in the Facebook post. “He’s not ok and has been violent before, especially when he thought someone was taking Jill away.”
Ron Sidebotham has similarly raised fears that his daughter’s absence may not be voluntary.
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[Featured image: Police Handout]