An OPP helicopter with a special, high-resolution camera searched over three parks Friday morning as part of the ongoing effort to find some trace of missing teen Mariam Makhniashvili.
The helicopter flew over Earl Bales Park, Sunnybrook Park and Sherwood Park for about an hour, scouting the areas for any clues that could reveal what happened to the 18-year-old.
Police said it was a regularly scheduled flight and was not prompted by any new information. "it's definitely a lengthy investigation. Everything possible is being done to locate her," said Const. Tony Vella.
Her father said police told her they would be carrying out the search.Vakhtang Makhniashvili used the occasion to urge Torontonians to come forward if they had any information about his daughter.
"Any information may help," he said.
Mariam has been missing for nearly two months and police have had few leads in the case.
The teen was last seen on Sept. 14 by her brother who walked with her to their midtown Toronto high school, Forest Hill Collegiate. Mariam told her brother she would go into the school through a separate entrance. She never made it to class and was never seen again.
Three weeks later, her school bag was found several blocks away behind a building on Eglinton Avenue, east of Yonge Street.
Sherwood Park is located close to where her schoolbag was found. This is the second time police have searched Earl Bales, a large park she frequented often with her family during the summer.
Mariam was 17 when she disappeared. Her parents celebrated her 18th birthday without her on Oct. 27.
Mariam and her brother moved to Toronto in June to reunite with their parents who had left the family in the Republic of Georgia five years ago to pursue better opportunities in North America.
She had been at her new school for only four days before she disappeared. In that time she made no friends, police have said.
Mariam's parents have dismissed rumours that she ran away because she left home with no extra money, clothes or a passport. They said Mariam is a stable, responsible girl and that running away would be out of character for her. They also said the teen has not tried to contact friends or relatives back in her native Georgia.
The case has stumped police, who have said they don't have the evidence to suggest that Mariam is the victim of foul play or that she ran away. Investigators have appealed to local high schools on two separate occasions in hopes of generating new tips from her peers.
They also seized computers from two libraries the girl frequented, but CTV Toronto's John Musselman said that so far, the computers don't appear to have turned up any useful evidence.
Mariam is white, 5'3" with light brown, shoulder-length hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing black jeans with front and back pockets and buttons as well as a baby blue, long-sleeved v-neck shirt. She was wearing a waist-length blue jean jacket.
People with information are asked to contact police at 416-808-5300, Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS (8477), online at www.222tips.com, or text TOR and a message to CRIMES (274637).
With a report from CTV Toronto's John Musselman
