Toronto, Ontario (May 24, 2026)

The urgent search for 14-year-old Esther, also known as Esti, has been made even more painful after missing-person flyers posted across Toronto were torn down, an act that has deeply disturbed community members already shaken by her disappearance.

Esther has been missing for more than a week after last being seen late Friday night, May 15, near Earl Bales Park in North York, around Bathurst Street and Sheppard Avenue West. Toronto Police have upgraded the case to a Priority 1 investigation, signaling serious concern for her safety and the need for immediate public assistance.

She is described as 5-foot-2 with a medium build and brown hair. At the time she was last seen, she was wearing a green long-sleeve shirt, gray sweatpants, and no shoes.

Volunteers and community members have been working to spread awareness by placing flyers in public areas, hoping that someone may recognize Esther or recall seeing something important. Many of those posters were ripped down intensifying anguish across the Jewish community, where many see the act as part of a broader climate of hostility that became painfully familiar after October 7, when posters of Israeli hostages were repeatedly removed or vandalized in cities around the world.

While authorities have not publicly confirmed a motive for the removal of Esther’s flyers, community members say the focus must remain on bringing her home safely and ensuring that hatred does not interfere with a search for a missing child.

Police are asking residents, drivers, businesses, and property owners near Earl Bales Park and the surrounding North York area to review security footage, dashcam video, yards, sheds, stairwells, and other spaces where Esther may have passed through or sought shelter.

Anyone who sees Esther or has urgent information should call 911 immediately. Tips may also be directed to Toronto Police at 416-808-3200 or Shomrim Toronto at 647-557-6735. Besuros Tovos.

Posters torn down for a missing 14 yr old Jewish girl in North York in one of the most Jewish neighborhoods in Canada & reportedly happened across the city of Toronto.

Reminiscent of the disrespect of the Hostage Posters. The same exact Jew hate.

Be ashamed, Canada pic.twitter.com/c5kG9XVCpQ

— Dan Levy דניאל אליהו בן מאניש דוד (@TheDanLevy) May 23, 2026

A missing 14-year-old girl’s posters are being ripped down.

Let that sink in.

This is not politics.
This is not activism.
This is a child on the spectrum who is still missing.

If you see someone tearing down Esti’s signs — call it out. Stand up to it. This is not who Canadians… pic.twitter.com/UrOx6KhVYC

— Matthew Taub (@MatthewTaub) May 23, 2026