Bigger Bounty

Another Monday has come and gone, and there's still no sign of little Cecilia Zhang. Every second is agony for the parents of the nine-year-old, who has now been missing for more than five weeks. She was abducted from her Whitehorn Crescent bedroom on October 20th, and even a $115,000 reward has failed to turn up any trace of her.

But now that bounty has been bumped up. Councillor Paul Sutherland’s “Eyes For Angels” – a organization that fights crime against children – is adding $25,000 to the kitty, to bring the total amount being offered for Cecilia’s return to $140,000. But after such a long absence could that money be used to pay a ransom?

Chief Julian Fantino doesn’t think that will happen, but he’s not ruling anything out. “This is not a ransom fund,” he points out. “The ransom issue is something that we would be looking at apart from this, but no one says never.”

Fantino admits many people have approached him about paying the price for getting the little girl home safely. “I've had a number of citizens contact me directly, offering unconditionally whatever money is necessary to bring Cecilia back home … safe and sound, which could be a ransom.”

Sutherland hopes the money loosens some too-long silent lips. “This is a war that we're fighting,” he pronounces. “And it's a war that we must fight together to stop these child predators. We can be the Eyes for Angels in our city.”

All branches of the Bank of Nova Scotia Canada-wide are accepting donations to the Eyes For Angels fund. The money will be used for public education and to offer rewards in cases like Cecilia's. If you’d like to contribute, the Transit number is 03012, while the account is 0049816.

While Fantino claims investigators are optimistic that Cecilia is still alive, they’re no longer positive she’s still in the country. Details of her case were given to Interpol, an international police agency that serves over 180 countries, on the weekend. But cops still think a local tip will bring the key clue that breaks the case. If you’ve got one, call the Hotline at (416) 808-8390

To see unedited video of Sutherland and Fantino, click here.
See video of Cecelia 'Eyes For Angels'
http://www.pulse24.com/News/Top_Story/20031126-008/page.asp

November 26, 2003