Family of missing 14yo girl plaster city with posters of their daughter’s face, left horrified by what vandals did to them

A family in Toronto, Canada, have called out the “cruel” actions of vandals who tore down missing posters flyers they had put up in an effort to find their missing 14-year-old daughter. Esther has been missing for more than a week and her concerned family are desperate to reunite with her.

The teen was last spotted just after midnight on May 16th near Bathurst Street and she was not wearing shoes when she disappeared. Her family are understandably frantic with worry although authorities claim there is no evidence that Esther was abducted as per the Daily Mail, still, there are grave fears for the vulnerable 14-year-old’s safety.

Help us find Esther.

For the latest information—including where she was last seen, updated images, and details on our tip line and how to submit evidence, please visit https://t.co/oiDjhl8ZbB.

If you have any information, no matter how small, please come forward and help us… pic.twitter.com/Zz2FNaWEwi

— Toronto Police (@TorontoPolice) May 23, 2026

In a bid to spread awareness about Esther’s disappearance the family and volunteers took time to spread missing persons posters around Toronto. The flyers, which were taped to telephone poles and walls across the city featured a picture of Esther, a description of her clothes she was last seen in and an advertised reward of $25,000 for information leading to the safe return of the young girl.

The Esther posters are torn down

Despite the tragic circumstances the family are facing right now, heartless vandals took it upon themselves to destroy the posters around the city. Pictures shared online show torn flyers with the remnants still taped to the poles the family and volunteers had put there mere days, and in some cases, hours before.

“Tearing down posters of a missing girl goes against the compassion, decency, and humanity Canadians pride themselves on.” family spokesperson Maureen Leshem said in a statement to the local media. She stated that the vandalism was “deeply disturbing and cruel,” going on to add, “When a family is desperately trying to find their child, this kind of behavior should concern every person in our city.”

The family, who are Jewish, have expressed fears that antisemitism might be a factor in the acts of vandalism on the posters. According to Leshem there have been growing tensions in Jewish communities across the country.

Online the young girl’s disappearance has received mixed reactions with some refusing to differentiate between the atrocities being carried out in Palestine and this worrying missing persons case. It seems many want to make the situation political when it really shouldn’t be.

Regardless of what the motivation is behind tearing down the posters, Leshem warned that the action was directly hindering efforts to find Esther. Others online have called for the police to act against those taking down the flyers however, Police spokesperson Nadine Ramadan explained there was little they could do as removing posters “not necessarily a criminal offence.”