Missing Soest girl, 11, found with her father in Bulgaria

Melissa, an 11-year-old girl who went missing after hockey practice in Soest on Tuesday, has been found safe and sound, the police said on Wednesday night. “She was found in good health in the presence of her father in Bulgaria,” the police said. The father was arrested.

Melissa’s mother reported her missing on Tuesday afternoon when she failed to come home from hockey practice. She posted pictures of her daughter on social media, saying that Melissa’s father kidnapped her and may take her to Turkey.

Because her father is Turkish, the police considered this likely and informed the Turkish authorities as well as international authorities on all possible routes to the country. “All the efforts brought great relief to the police when the news came that she was found in a car in Bulgaria, presumably on her way to Turkey, in the presence of her father,” the police said.

The Bulgarian police arrested the man. Local aid agencies took custody of Melissa while the authorities worked on bridging her home. “Her mother has been notified,” the police said.

Jorica Verhoef, the girl’s mother, told De Gelderlander that Melisa’s father threatened to abduct the child in the past. By the time the girl was missing for 24 hours, she said to De Telegraaf, “I’m afraid that I will never see her again.”

“Every year, more than 200 children are abducted in the Netherlands by one of their parents and taken abroad, or abducted abroad and taken to the Netherlands,” the government states on its website. “What usually happens is that the father or mother takes the child with them without the other parent’s consent. Or they may leave the child behind after a holiday or family visit.”