Date: Oct. 20, 2003


Cecilia Zhang
4' 11"
70 Lbs
Shoulder length brown hair with blonde highlights
brown eyes, good teeth

It started like so many other nights, when Raymond Zhang and Sherry Xu put their daughter, Cecilia, to bed in their Whitehorn Crescent home. But the morning of October 20th would be like few others they - or this city - has ever seen.

Someone with an obvious knowledge of the home broke in through the family's kitchen window during those dark hours and performed an even darker deed, taking the bright eyed and gifted nine-year-old captive and fleeing the only sanctuary she's ever known.

When her parents came to get her the next morning, she was gone. And the panic set in, as police descended on the normally quiet North York neighbourhood. An Amber Alert screamed the grade four student's description across the province. Media outlets ran her picture continuously. And detectives began the painstaking task of trying to find former tenants of the home or anyone with a motive for the terrible crime.

They also traced two mysterious phone calls made that day from two separate pay phones in Brampton, interviewing witnesses who may have seen the figure on the other end. But despite theories about a kidnapping for ransom, no one has contacted either the Zhangs or the authorities.

Events followed in quick succession - the distraught parents appeared at Police Headquarters, making a heartbreaking plea to their daughter and to her abductors. A hotline, (416) 808-8390, was quickly set up, taking over a thousand tips, all of which were being checked out. A non-traceable website, ceciliazhang.org, was started, with the family hopeful the culprits would leave a message. A reward that now tops $100,000 was offered for the girl's safe return. And even "America's Most Wanted" got in on the act, telling Cecilia's story to millions of viewers across North America.

And still, there was no sign of the child. Police continue to stay optimistic, insisting they have every reason to believe Cecilia is still alive and still in the country. But every day that goes by makes it harder to stay hopeful. And every second is agony for a quiet couple who never expected to be placed in such a bright and harsh spotlight - and would give everything they own just to get their daughter back home.

Story archive:

Cecilia's Disturbing Disappearance
Date: Oct. 20, 2003
http://www.pulse24.com/missing/