The RCMP in Okotoks, Alta., are asking residents there if they've seen missing Toronto teenager Mariam Makhniashvili after having received some tips.

"What we're looking for now with the distribution of these pictures is to see if there's anyone else in this area who may have been in contact with this individual so we can pass it back on to the Toronto Police Service," Sgt. Patrick Webb said Wednesday.

Police believe Mariam was in the town, located about 15 kilometres south of Calgary's southern boundary, on Oct. 27 and believe she might still be in the Calgary area.

They said in a news release issued Wednesday that Makhniashvili was trying to sell dreamcatchers and other crafts to local businesses.

Okotoks business owner Sara Keres said one of her employees spoke with the person who might be Mariam. "A girl had come in to sell some dreamcatchers and of course we said it's not our style. And the girl said okay and asked if we would give a donation."

Const. Wendy Drummond, a Toronto Police spokesperson, told CTV News it's their understanding the tip was based on a Crime Stoppers tip.

"We don't have anything substantial to confirm that she in fact was seen," she said.

Lela Tabidze, Mariam's mother, told CTV News from outside the family's 20 Shallmar Blvd. apartment building that while the possible sighting left her confused, "it gives me more energy to look forward and see what happens."

She urged people to contact police if they think they spotted Mariam. "We want her back and we miss her so much. It's almost impossible to describe how much we miss Marika," Tabidze said.

In a separate media appearance, Vakhtang Makhniashvili, Mariam's father, said: "Unfortunately, I think it is almost impossible. If she were able to sell something on the street, she would be able to call us or email us, and why wouldn't she?"

If this sighting turns out to be genuine, it will be the first confirmed one of Mariam since she disappeared from her Toronto school on Sept. 14.

She had walked to Forest Heights Collegiate Institute with her brother George. Instead of going in the back door with him, she said she would go in the front door as it was closer to her first-period class. That was the last confirmed sighting of her.

Since then, police have conducted an intensive search for the girl, who turned 18 on Oct. 27.

They recently concluded a canvass of 6,000 people in her neighbourhood and nearly another 1,000 at her school. Police said all those interviews generated no new leads.

Other extraordinary measures have included:

  • two aerial searches of parks and ravines
  • seizing computers from two local libraries she frequented
  • making appeals at three high schools

The only solid clue has been the discovery of the backpack Mariam had on the day she went missing. It was discovered Oct. 8 at 130 Eglinton Ave. E., which is a few kilometres away from her school. But police have no evidence to show Mariam put it there.

Toronto police say even at this stage, they can't yet say whether Mariam is the victim of foul play, whether she willingly ran away or whether something else happened.

Mariam's parents have maintained that running away would be very much out of character for her.

The girl and her brother came to Canada in late June from the Republic of Georgia to reunite with their parents, who had been working in the United States for the previous five years.

Mariam had a limited grasp of English. She left her passport at home.

Police say she hasn't left any type of trail in terms of communications or financial transactions. There's no indication she has tried to contact friends or relatives back in Georgia. She has no known connections to the Calgary area.

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.

Anyone with information is asked to call Toronto police at 416-808-5300, or to call Crime Stoppers at 416-222-8477. Members of the public can also send in tips online at www.222tips.com, or they can text TOR and a message to CRIMES (274637).

People in Alberta can call the Okotoks Detachment at (403) 938-7046.

With a report from CTV Toronto's Michelle Dube