It’s been more than one week since 14-year-old Esther, who goes by “Esti,” disappeared from North York area of Toronto and her family asked that Global News share a video of an interview she did a year ago in hopes of generating tips.
On June 4, 2025, Esther appeared in a Global News story for School Crossing Guard Appreciation Week.
“If you wanted me to name specifics, she’s kind, she’s caring, she’s giving, like she’s the kind of girl who will sit and listen to you for hours,” said Esther, describing her beloved crossing guard of six years, Michelle Marshall.
In the report, Esther calls on her fellow classmates to cheer for Marshall.
“Guys, raise your hand if you think Michelle is the best crossing guard!” she said excitedly and the crowd responded with screams.
Esther went missing late Friday, May 15, in the Earl Bales Park area around 11:15 p.m. Toronto police say she was spotted just after midnight on May 16, just over two kilometres south of the park near Bathurst Street and Hotspur Road.
The family suggested that showing the video of Esther on Global News from June 2025 could help jog someone’s memory, as it shows her talking and interacting.
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Marshall spoke to media on Friday about her relationship with Esther.
“If she had trouble in school with somebody, she’d always tell the principal, you know, ‘I want to go outside and talk to Michelle, she can calm me down,’ which was nice. It was very nice to have her around me. She’s a very pleasant young lady,” Marshall said.
Shira, Esther’s mother, said that “Esti loves her dearly and she loves Esti dearly, and she has been one of those people that I could always go to for help, or Esti could go to for help or if she needed something.”
Esther is on the autism spectrum and her family said she is “vulnerable.”
“She’s very, very smart. I worry that she’s going to be too trusting, that somebody will have ill intentions. I don’t know where she is, so it’s really, really concerning,” Shira said.
Esther’s father, Joseph, said, “If you just had a conversation with her, you’d have no clue that she was on the spectrum. You’d think she was just a genius and very articulate. You might think she’s a 25-year-old and not that she’s 14 years old. That’s really how it affects her. It just makes her smarter and she thinks 10 steps ahead of everybody else.”
The family has made several public appeals for the public’s help in finding their missing daughter.
Toronto police launched a Level 1 search to find Esther, the highest level of search operation, to allow for the mobilization of various units, including marine, canine and mounted police.
Over the weekend, police released a new security camera image from May 15 of Esther appearing to be in a restaurant.
Esther is described as five feet two inches tall with a medium build and brown hair. She was last seen wearing a turquoise sweater with words on the front and grey sweatpants. She does not have shoes.
Police have created a dedicated phone line for the public to call in tips at 647-355-4148. The public can also upload video or photos to a dedicated QR code that launches the Toronto Police Service evidence submission portal.
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