Missing Maddie Thomas: Urgent police appeal over ‘abducted’ 15-year-old

Detectives investigating the disappearence of 15-year-old Maddie Thomas are now treating the case as child abduction.

Maddie went missing from her foster home in the Southmead area on Tuesday, April 26. Avon and Somerset Police have issued multiple public appeals to find her.

In an update, the force said it was no longer treating her case as a missing person investigation, but as a child abduction.

Detectives also believe she is likely to be with a man. And they say she could have travelled out of Bristol and may be as far afield as Wiltshire, London, Cardiff, Bedfordshire or Birmingham.

Detective Inspector Laura Miller, said: “We are no longer investigating Maddie’s disappearence as a missing person case but as child abduction.

“When Maddie has previously gone missing she has been found in the company of adult men and it is mainly due to this history that we believe she is likely to currently be with someone.

“Maddie is a child in foster care, no one has permission to keep her from her carers. She is vulnerable and at risk of being taken advantage of.

“We’re really concerned about her saftey and have a dedicated team working to locate her.

“No one has seen or heard from Maddie for 15 days - since she saw a relative on April 26 when she said she was going to the shop.

“The circumstances of her disappearence are deeply worrying for us; her family and her carers.

“We have a number of lines of enqiry and while we’ve had a great deal of help from the public to date which we’re incredibley greateful, we still need more.

“Officers have carried out CCTV enquiries in the Southmead area where Maddie was seen last and posters have also been handed out to local residents by officers going house to house.

“But Maddie could be anywhere in the country and so we really need our appeal to be shared as widely as possible.

Anyone who has seen Maddie can call 101 with reference number 5222098703.