Missing girl's family receives updates from media, not police

The family of Haymanut Kasau, a nine-year-old Ethiopian girl who vanished in February 2024, is expressing profound frustration, stating they are learning about the investigation into her disappearance from news reports, not from law enforcement officials.

"So far, we have not been given any information," the family declared, emphasizing their right to receive updates directly from the officers handling the case. Their plea, "Haymanut must return home now," underscores the anguish and urgency felt by a family desperate for answers and the safe return of their child.

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So far, we have not been given any information. It is appropriate that we receive the updates directly from the officers in charge. Haymanut must return home now.

This lack of direct communication from the police is particularly galling given recent media coverage and a meeting with police officials where, according to the family, no progress was reported. The situation is compounded by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's recent comparison of the efforts to locate Kasau to the mission to retrieve hostages taken during the October 7th attacks, a statement that highlights the perceived national importance of her case while seemingly offering little solace to her immediate family.

Kasau, who immigrated to Israel with her family in 2021, was last seen on security camera footage near an absorption center in Safed. While initial search efforts were halted and later resumed, the family has consistently maintained that all indicators point towards an abduction. The perceived lack of transparency and progress from the authorities, contrasted with the high-profile attention from the Prime Minister, creates a deeply unsettling dynamic for the Kasau family, who feel left in the dark about their daughter's fate.

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the state would continue its mission to find Kasau, comparing the mission to return her home to the mission to return hostages from Gaza after October 7, 2023.