Kaylee, 6, was last seen near Dundas Street E. and Thickson Rd. in Whitby. Police say they’re unable to locate the girl’s mother, and that the father isn’t cooperating with investigators. Police have more questions than answers as they investigate the disappearance of a six-year-old girl from Whitby.
And while police say the girl was last seen in the company of an “associate” of her father, he and other family members are apparently not cooperating with investigators.
Police say Kaylee, a six-year-old girl from Whitby, was left in the care of 48-year-old Blair Hamilton — whom police describe as an “associate” of her father — on Saturday evening in the McDonald’s plaza at Dundas St. E. and Thickson Rd. in Whitby.
She was last seen on surveillance footage at around 12:10 a.m. on Sunday, and spotted on Sunday afternoon somewhere in Peel Region.
“Given her age, and the circumstances of the investigation, we are extremely concerned for her well-being,” Sgt. Nicholas Gluckstein said during a Tuesday morning press conference.
Police not notified until Monday
Speaking to reporters during a Tuesday morning press conference, Gluckstein said police are also seeking to locate Kaylee’s mother, Nicole Thompson.
“Unfortunately, we have been unable to reach the mother at all,” Gluckstein said.
“If she sees this information, we implore her to come forward and speak with our investigators. And if anybody knows the mother, we absolutely implore them to contact us so we get the information on her whereabouts.”
He said police were not notified of Kaylee’s disappearance until Monday evening — two days later — after tips from Kaylee’s grandfather and a concerned third party.
Gluckstein said Kaylee was, at some point, left with Hamilton under unknown circumstances.
“We have since spoken to the father, and unfortunately he has been uncooperative with us, which adds to our frustration and adds to the lack of information,” Gluckstein said.
While Gluckstein wouldn’t say if Hamilton was known to police, he did say they “had some interactions” with him, which is how they were able to identify him through surveillance footage.
Case has not met threshold for abduction, Amber Alert
Gluckstein said investigators worked throughout the night searching for clues on Kaylee’s disappearance, both in Durham and Peel.
“They searched every lead,” he said.
“We’ve had our air support unit looking, our drones looking.”
He said the investigation is still being treated as a missing person and not an abduction, hence the lack of an Amber Alert.
“We have explored the option of Amber Alerts — obviously, there is a very strategic and very sensitive legislative process for obtaining an Amber Alert,” he said, adding they’ve been in contact with the OPP, who are responsible for managing Ontario’s Amber Alert system.
“As we gain more information, we can move towards those thresholds, work towards getting that Amber Alert.”
Blair Hamilton is a 48-year-old, 5-foot-10 White male with a slim build.
He was last seen wearing a red sweater under a black coat, brown shoes with white soles, a brown checkered ballcap, and was carrying a grey backpack.
Kaylee is a White, slim, four-foot-tall female with long blonde hair and blue eyes.
She was last seen wearing a purple jacket with a fur-lined hood with a flower print on the inside.
She was also wearing a pair of pink pants, as well as black, white and red shoes.
Anyone with information on Kaylee’s whereabouts is asked to call Durham Regional Police Service at 905-579-1520.
