Distraught grandmother reveals foster care pain in plea to bring missing girl home
A teenager missing for three weeks from Sydney’s south west was struggling to adapt to foster care prior to her disappearance, her grandmother has revealed.
The 13-year-old was last seen leaving school about 3.30pm on Thursday 12 November 2020, and has not been seen or heard from since.
For legal reasons the missing teenager cannot be named, because she is in the foster care system.
Her grandmother told Ben Fordham she’s desperate to have the girl returned to live with her family.
She was removed to foster care amidst the height of the pandemic, when her family refused a visit from Family and Community services based on health concerns.
The first time the woman received a video call from her granddaughter, she was shocked by what she saw.
“We nearly fainted – her face was twice the size, her eyes were all puffed.
“We said ‘What happened?’ and she said ‘I’ve been crying’.
“They warned us that if we continued in this manner, they would disconnect the call and we would not get another call.”
She believes her granddaughter has returned to the Condell Park/Bankstown area, and is urging anyone who knows her location to come forward.
Click PLAY below to hear the full interview
Image: Getty