Police rule out possibility that missing Safed girl Haymanut Kasau was kidnapped by relatives – report

Police have ruled out the possibility that 9-year-old Haymanut Kasau, who has been missing since Sunday evening, was kidnapped by a relative living abroad, the Kan public broadcaster reports.

Kasau was last seen in security footage at 7:45 p.m. on Sunday handing out municipal election leaflets outside the Jewish Agency absorption center in Safed, where she has lived for the past three years since immigrating with her family from Ethiopia, police have said.

According to Kan, alongside an extensive search operation in the field, the police are investigating the possibility that the girl was snatched by sex offenders. To this end, they have been monitoring people previously convicted of pedophilia.

Speaking to Kasau’s family at the Safed police headquarters, Israel Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai vows that the police “will turn over every stone in an attempt to find her safe and sound.”