CANADA • Pearl Rose GAVAGHAN DA MASSA, 6 ~ Toronto ON

Missing mom and girl, 6, sought by police
Last Updated:

Saturday, December 11, 2010 | 12:45 PM ET


Pearl Rose Gavaghan Da Massa, 6, has been missing since 2008. She was last seen in Toronto's Parkdale neighbourhood in July. (Toronto police)

Toronto police are renewing efforts to find a six-year-old girl abducted by her
mother after new information surfaced showing the girl may be
suffering.
Pearl Rose Gavaghan Da Massa was taken from her Manchester, England,
home and brought to Toronto by her mother Helen Gavaghan in 2008, police
said. They both used aliases while in Canada, and it's believed they
lived in the Parkdale area, where Gavaghan, 33, offered child-care
services.
Pearl showed "signs of trauma" when a healthcare worker saw her in September 2009, Toronto detectives were told recently.
Henry Da Massa, Pearl's father, moved to Toronto nine months ago to
search for the girl. The new information confirmed some of his
suspicions, he told CBC News.
"It's my considered opinion based on everything that's known about
the way Helen and Pearl are living that Pearl's not receiving medical
attention, she's not going to school … and she isn't mixing with other
children," said Da Massa, who legally has joint custody of his daughter.
"They are living a very isolated life between them."
Da Massa has not seen his daughter since 2008, when it's alleged
Gavaghan took their daughter to Cancun, Mexico. After travelling through
Mexico, Gavaghan — using a passport under her legally changed name Meta
Internation — crossed into Texas, then moved on to Toronto.
U.K. authorities have issued an international arrest and extradition
warrants for Gavaghan's arrest after the British High Court ruled it was
illegal for her to have taken Pearl out of England.
In Toronto, Helen and Pearl reportedly went by the names Dana and Belle Flaherty.
Gavaghan is described as five foot five inches tall with a thin build, brown-green eyes and long black hair.
Pearl was around three-foot-seven when last seen, although she may
have grown, and has an average build and light brown hair, police said.
Toronto police officers were headed to speak with them this year when
the pair moved again. Peal was spotted once in the Parkdale area in
July, police said, but there have been no further tips.

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/toronto/story/2010/12/11/toronto-missing-girl-121.html#ixzz18dgcXKkw

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Please visit the link below to view additional pictures of Pearl and her abductor/mother. Hopefully someone will recognize the abductor and help bring Pearl safely home.

http://missingpearl.org/


Abducted Child: Real Name : Pearl Rose GAVAGHAN DA MASSA also known as Belle FLAHERTY Date of birth : 6th April 2004 Age : 6½ years Nationality : English Hair : Brown, long, wavy Eyes : Green/brown Height : 110cm/3'8"

Abducted By: Real Name : Helen GAVAGHAN also known as Meta INTERNATIONAL also known as Dana FLAHERTY Date of birth : 14th June 1977 Age : 33 years Nationality : English Hair : Black, long, straight Eyes : Green/brown Height : 165cm/5'5"


Abduction Timeline

[28 Nov 2008] : Withdrawal of £10,500 in cash from Nat West Bank Manchester
[08 Dec 2008] : Left home and stayed at the Manchester Airport Ramada Hotel
[09 Dec 2008] : Flew to Cancun MEXICO on Thomson/First Choice flight TOM161
[09 Dec 2008] : Stayed at Posada La Paduana Hostel in Playa del Carmen MEXICO
[16 Dec 2008] : Stayed at Weary Traveller Hostel in Tulum MEXICO
[23 Dec 2008] : May have been in the Cuernavacas region of MEXICO
[29 Dec 2008] : May have been in Mexico City
[30 Dec 2008] : Entered USA at Laredo Bridge Border Control, Texas
[15 Jan 2009] : Entered CANADA by bus and travelled to Toronto
[26 Feb 2010] : Confirmed as living at Zacchaeus House Toronto since January 2009
[06 July 2010] : Further positive sighting of Pearl in Parkdale Toronto[/size]

Site Documents

[20 Dec 2010] : Forged court order retreived by police from former address Helen GAVAGHAN
[20 Dec 2010] : Passport scan in the name of Meta INTERNATIONAL
[11 Dec 2010] : Email correspondence of Helen GAVAGHAN released by the High Court
[10 Dec 2010] : Toronto Police Service Press Release highlights concerns for Pearl
[10 Dec 2010] : Shared Residence Order of Pearl GAVAGHAN DA MASSA 30th July 2008
[09 Dec 2010] : Publicity Order of the High Court of Justice of England and Wales
[09 Dec 2010] : UK Social Worker linked to abduction in UK Daily Telegraph In Brief article
[09 Dec 2010] : Change of name deed of Helen GAVAGHAN to Meta INTERNATIONAL
[02 Sep 2010] : Greater Manchester Police Press Release endorsed by the High Court
[02 Sep 2010] : Toronto Police Service Press Release issued
[11 Dec 2009] : Press Release of the High Court of Justice of England and Wales
[19 July 2009] : Interpol Yellow Notice and Interpol Missing Poster
[09 July 2009] : US Border Crossing at Laredo Bridge Texas


* * * * * * * * * * U P D A T E * * * * * * * * * *
New Images Released Of British Girl Allegedly Abducted By Mother
January 05, 2011



It’s been two years since six-year-old Pearl Rose Gavaghan Da Massa was taken from her home in Manchester, England. Authorities say the girl and her mother are living in Toronto with different names and released new images of the youngster Wednesday.

Police allege the child’s mother, 33-year-old Helen Gavaghan, abducted Pearl from their home in Manchester. The pair has been spotted in Parkdale and there’s concern about the youngster’s health and well-being.

Helen Gavaghan and the child’s father, Hollywood Henry Da Massa, also of Manchester, share custody of Pearl. The mother is the subject of a UK arrest and extradition warrant.

Authorities claim Gavaghan unlawfully took her daughter out of England in December 2008 and travelled to Mexico. From there, the pair moved on to Texas, eventually ending up in Toronto in January 2009.

Police also claim the woman operated an unofficial home child care service in Riverdale with an unknown partner. The mother and child also lived at “an alternative community” in Parkdale for about a year, police said, under the names Dana and Belle Flaherty.

In September 2009 a health care worker offered new information in the case and raised concern about the girl, claiming she showed signs of trauma and social isolation. Pearl was in need of medical attention at the time of her alleged abduction from England.

Helen Gavaghan is described as:

-White,
-5’5”, with a very slim build
-Green/brown eyes
-Long black hair which may now be dyed or cut short
-She has a prominent angular nose and wide ears

Pearl is described as:

-3’7” or taller, with a normal build
-Green/brown eyes
-Last seen with light brown, shoulder-length hair

If you have any information on the pair’s whereabouts, call Crime Stoppers at (416) 222-TIPS or Child Find Ontario at 1-800-387-7962 quoting reference 5625-P.

http://www.citytv.com/toronto/citynews/news/local/article/106384--new-images-released-of-british-girl-allegedly-abducted-by-mother
_____________________________________________________________

Please see newly released photos of Pearl in the news release at this link:
http://www.torontopolice.on.ca/newsreleases/pdfs/20289.pdf


TORONTO POLICE SERVICE - NEWS RELEASE - January 05, 2011


Corporate Communications
416−808−7100

The following news release has been published on the Greater Manchester Police website in
England and is being issued on the TPS website to assist locating Pearl Rose Gavaghan Da
Massa, 6.

See previous release.

England's Greater Manchester Police and the Toronto Police Service in Canada are appealing
for the public's help tracing a six−and−a−half−year−old girl after new information about her
safety and welfare has emerged.

Pearl Rose Gavaghan Da Massa (born 06/04/2004) was taken from Manchester, England, on
9 December 2008 by her mother, Helen Gavaghan (born 14/06/1977) without consent.

Concerns grew recently after a healthcare professional came forward to offer new information
about Pearl who, in September 2009, was showing signs of trauma and social isolation. Pearl
was also in need of medical attention at the time of the abduction in December 2008.

Canadian police also now believe that the mother provided unofficial child−minding services in
the Riverdale area of Toronto, with assistance from an unknown business partner.

Pearl is the subject of a shared residence order (joint custody order) between Helen and the
father, Hollywood Henry Da Massa. All three are from Manchester, England.

The High Court deemed that Pearl's removal from England was unlawful. A UK arrest warrant
and extradition warrant has been issued for Helen.

It has been discovered that, prior to December 2008, Helen had withdrawn a large amount of
cash, changed her name by deed poll and obtained a passport in the new name of Meta
International.
Helen flew to Cancun, Mexico on 9 December 2008 under her new identity with Pearl. They
stayed at various places in Mexico and crossed into Texas on 30 December 2008.

They are believed to have arrived in Toronto Canada in January 2009.

In February 2010, it was discovered that the pair had been living at an alternative community
in the Parkdale area of Toronto, Canada, for about 12 months under the name[s] Dana
Flaherty for the mother and Belle Flaherty for Pearl.

Helen is described as 5ft 5in tall, of very slim or thin build. She has green/brown eyes and had
long black hair, which may now be dyed and/or cut short. Helen is described as having
prominent angular nose and wide ears.

Pearl is described as 3ft 7in tall although she has probably grown in the last 18 months. She
was of normal build with green/brown eyes. She was last seen with light brown shoulder
length hair.

Detective Inspector Colin Larkin, based at South Manchester CID, said: "It is two years since
Pearl was removed from England and based on the information from the Toronto healthcare
professional I am increasingly concerned for her safety and well being.

"Our aim is to make sure that Pearl is safe and well and is reunited with the rest of her family.
If any member of the public has information about her whereabouts or has any knowledge of
Helen and Pearl whatsoever I urge them to now contact Greater Manchester Police or
Toronto Police − information can be treated in the strictest of confidence."

Anyone in the UK with information is asked to call officers at South Manchester CID ( 44)
0161 856 4843, Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111 or Missing Kids UK on
0808−100 8777 quoting reference UK02UK0209GMP00199.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 416−808−2222, Crime Stoppers
anonymously at 416−222−TIPS (8477), online at www.222tips.com, text TOR and your
message to CRIMES (274637), or Leave A Tip on Facebook, or or Child Find Ontario on
1−800−387−7962 quoting reference 5625−P.

Further information can be found at www.missingKids.co.uk (REF UK02UK0209GMP00199)
www.ontario.childfind.ca (REF 5625−P) and www.missingpearl.org.

__________________________

Constable Wendy Drummond, Corporate Communications
ID: 20289 2 / 7

http://www.torontopolice.on.ca/newsreleases/pdfs/20289.pdf


https://www.facebook.com/TorontoPolice/posts/492505521296


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Father searches for abducted daughter
February 20, 2011

Henry Da Massa hasn’t seen his little girl since her mother allegedly abducted her two years ago.

But he feels more optimistic that he’ll locate Pearl now that Interpol recently issued a red notice, which helps police find and extradite wanted fugitives.

“At any given time, there are less than 10 active red notices that originate from England and we believe this is the first child abduction matter that has generated an Interpol red notice,” said Da Massa, 40, who moved to Toronto last March to find his six-year-old daughter.

Living in England, he separated from his ex-girlfriend, Helen Gavaghan – Pearl’s mother – in 2004. The pair had joint custody of Pearl.

Da Massa received a call in December 2008 from Gavaghan’s friend who told him the mom and daughter had gone to India for a month on vacation. That was the last time he heard from them.

Pearl and Gavaghan, 33, were spotted in Toronto’s Parkdale area from January 2009 to February 2010, living in a communal residence that houses war-resisters from the U.S.

“I think it’s very unlikely that Helen and Pearl would’ve left Canada,” he said.

Toronto Police issued press releases in December and January to draw attention to the case. Pearl’s father is worried about his daughter’s health.

“Pearl isn’t going to a doctor; she’s not going to the dentist. She’s not mixing with children or learning to trust the world around her,” Da Massa said. “Her education will by now will be significantly stunted. For two years, they’ve been living the lives of penniless transients.”

Read more | view Video

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Toronto Police and Henry de Massa appeal for your help to find Pearl
March 15, 2011



Facebook: Missing Pearl

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Media conference, Reward for Missing Pearl Gavaghan Da Massa




On Wednesday, April 6, 2011, at 10 a.m., in the media gallery at headquarters, Detective Rick Moonie of the Fugitive Squad will speak to the media about the ongoing investigation into the abduction of Pearl Gavaghan Da Massa, now aged 7.

Also, the Missing Children Society of Canada (MCSC) will announce a reward of $10,000 for any information leading to Pearl’s whereabouts.

Since 1986, the Missing Children Society of Canada has bee...n reuniting missing children with their searching families through professional investigations, public awareness and family support programs. MCSC’s team of former police detectives and trained investigators work closely with law enforcement while conducting frontline, hands-on investigative and search activities.

Pearl's father, Henry Da Massa, will also be available to speak to the media, along with Child Find, and a representative from Onestop Media Group, who are posting images of Pearl in their Crime Stoppers underground digital display systems and will engage the appeal through social media.

The information presented will also be posted on digital screens across Canada in Mac's convience stores.

Please follow on twitter account @missingpearl (direct link: http://Twitter.com/MissingPearl ) and use hashtag #findpearl and Facebook page: Missing Pearl, direct link https://facebook.com/missingpearl and on YouTube account http://youTube/MissingPearl.

https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=193894483981589

Toronto Police and Henry da Massa appeal for your help to find Pearl, missing 7 yr old
March 15, 2011



Facebook: Missing Pearl

More info and pictures here: http://www.justice4caylee.org/t8931p30-canada-cases

Missing Children Society of Canada: Missing Children Society of Canada: $10,000 Reward Announced in Pearl Gavaghan Da Massa Case

MCSC reward for information marks missing child's 7th birthday



Tomorrow, on April 6th, Pearl Gavaghan Da Massa will turn 7 years old. It has been over 2 years since the little girl vanished from the United Kingdom. It is believed that her alleged abductor brought her to Canada, and they were last seen in the Toronto, Ontario area. In an ongoing effort to encourage the public to come forward with information, the Missing Children Society of Canada (MCSC) will officially announce at a press conference tomorrow a reward of $10,000 for any information leading to Pearl's whereabouts. The announcement coincides with Pearl's 7th birthday - a day that should be spent with family and friends – something that this little girl is being deprived of.

"Pearl is out there somewhere, and her well-being is in danger. Is she getting proper health care? Is she getting proper schooling? And psychologically, she's not experiencing what it's like to have a family and friends and a normal childhood. Her identity is not her own," explained Amanda Pick, Executive Director of MCSC. "Someone out there knows where Pearl is. We are offering them an opportunity to help her, and to collect a sizeable reward in return."

Pearl Rose Gavaghan Da Massa was taken by her mother, Helen Gavaghan, who had joint custody with the child's father, Henry Da Massa. Since December 9, 2008, Helen has been on the run with the child and hiding from authorities. There were sightings of them in Toronto last summer, but nothing since then. It is believed they are travelling across Canada or may cross into the United States.



Helen may be using aliases of Dana Flaherty or Meta International. Pearl may be known as Belle Flaherty.

READ MORE

New details released in Pearl Gavaghan Da Massa case


APR 27, 2011 – Information received in the Pearl Gavaghan Da Massa case points to the possibility that the missing girl and her abductor may have travelled across Canada and are in hiding in British Columbia, possibly in the Vancouver area. The Missing Children Society of Canada (MCSC) made the announcement today from its headquarters in Calgary, Alberta.



Today’s release of information in the case follows MCSC’s announcement at a press conference in Toronto earlier this month of a $10,000 reward for information leading to the missing girl’s whereabouts. The reward offering is scheduled to expire next week on May 6th. While the organization has received several tips since the announcement, including new photos of the pair (shown below), the reward for information remains up for grabs.

“We’re still looking for that key piece of information,” said Ted Davis, MCSC investigator and former police detective. “The window is closing on this reward offer. If you have any information, now would be a good time to come forward.”

The reward announcement was originally made on April 6th, which was Pearl’s 7th birthday - a day that should be spent with family and friends – something that this little girl is being deprived of.

It has been over 2 years since the little girl vanished from the United Kingdom. Pearl Rose Gavaghan Da Massa was taken by her mother, Helen Gavaghan, who had joint custody with the child’s father, Henry Da Massa. Since December 9, 2008, Helen has been on the run with the child and hiding from authorities. There were sightings of them in Toronto last summer, and they may still be in the Toronto area or have ties to the area. Helen may be using aliases of Dana Flaherty or Meta International. Pearl may be known as Belle Flaherty.

“Pearl is out there, and her well-being is in danger. Her identity is not her own,” explained Amanda Pick, Executive Director of MCSC. ”Someone knows where Pearl is. We’re offering the chance to help Pearl, and to collect a sizeable reward in return.”

Anyone with information can contact MCSC confidentially through their 24-hour toll-free TIP line at 1-800-661-6160 or by email at tips@mcsc.ca.

Read More

View 'MISSING' poster

April 29, 2011- Update by Henry da Massa and the Toronto Police Service

Missing 7yr old Child Pearl Gavaghan da Massa Info E...

Police use social media to help search for abducted child, mother
June 14, 2011


Police use social media to help search for abducted child, mother.
Pearl Gavaghan Da Massa, 7, left, has been missing for more than
two years after her mother, Helen Gavaghan, 33, right, allegedly abducted
her from Manchester, England in Dec. 2008.

Investigators are using the latest technology and social media to locate a missing seven-year-old girl and her mother, who disappeared more than two years ago from Manchester, England.

Toronto Police Service's (TPS) fugitive squad is now using quick-response codes to distribute posters to Smartphone users about the disappearance of Pearl Gavaghan Da Massa, known as Belle Flaherty, and her mother, 33-year-old Helen Gavaghan, who may go by the name Meta International or Dana Flaherty.

When people click on the online poster, it will link them to YouTube videos they can watch.

"It merges the old-fashioned police work of canvassing with the emerging technologies of social media," said Const. Scott Mills, who handles social media for the TPS, in a release. "It takes people into the virtual world."

Anyone with information about Pearl and her mother's whereabouts can leave a message on various social media sites including www.facebook.com/missingpearl, http://twitter.com/#!/MissingPearl or https://www.youtube.com/MissingPearl.

Click on https://www.youtube.com/torontopolice#p/a/f/0/s3B4h6B60WM to watch a video by community member Paisley Rae on the locations Pearl was last seen in Parkdale.

The fugitive squad, with the support of Crime Stoppers International, recently presented these various social media appeals during the TPS' 13th annual International Fugitive Investigators Conference, which welcomed 250 delegates from 16 countries to Toronto from June 7 to 9.

Timeline

Authorities suspect the mother and daughter travelled to Cancun, Mexico, from Manchester, England, Dec. 9, 2008.

Before fleeing, Gavaghan reportedly withdrew a large amount of cash, changed her name by deed poll and obtained a passport in the new name of Meta International.

The pair, who is believed to have stayed in various places in Mexico before crossing into Texas on Dec. 30, 2008, lived in an "alternative community" in Parkdale for about a year.

Investigators allege as of February 2010, Gavaghan had been living in the city's west end for about a year. Toronto police attended a downtown west address in February 2010 but the mother and child were not found.

Investigators believe Gavaghan may have been offering "unofficial" child-minding services there as well as in the Riverdale area with the help of an unknown business partner.

As of late April, police believe the child and her mother could be in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Pearl, who was set to begin primary school in January 2009, was subject to a hospital referral.

Authorities are concerned about the child's well-being as a health-care professional recently gave authorities new information about Pearl, who in September 2009, was demonstrating signs of trauma, social isolation and continued upheaval.

Britain's High Court has deemed the girl's removal unlawful and a U.K. arrest warrant and extradition warrant has now been issued for Helen Gavaghan.

Pearl's father, Hollywood Henry Da Massa, moved to Toronto from Manchester, England, in March 2009, to search for his daughter. He has joint custody of Pearl and shares residence orders with the child's mother.

The Missing Children Society of Canada also recently offered a $10,000 reward to the individual who can provide them with information that will lead to the child's safe return.

Visit http://www.livestream.com/TorontoPolice/video?clipId=pla_b7d1fe54-d5d7-4963-b858-ff3a6f326024&utm_source=lslibrary&utm_medium=ui-thumb to view a live stream of that appeal.

Helen Gavaghan is described as 5'5" with a thin or slim build, a prominent angular nose and wide ears. She has green/brown eyes and had long black hair, which she may have since cut short or dyed.

Pearl Rose Gavaghan Da Massa is at least 3'7" and of normal build with green/brown eyes. She was last seen with light-brown, shoulder-length hair.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 416-808-5930, Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS (8477), online at www.222tips.com, or text TOR and your message to CRIMES (274637).

Tips can also be submitted to Child Find Ontario at 1-800-387-7962, Reference No. 5625-P.

Those in the U.K. with information should contact the South Manchester CID at (+44) 0161 856 483, Crime Stoppers anonymously at 0800 555 111 or Missing Kids UK at 0808-100 8777, Reference No. UK02UK0202GMP00199.

Visit www.missingkids.co.uk (Reference No. UK02UK0202GMP00199), www.ontario.childfind.ca (Reference No. 5625-P) or www.missingpearl.org for more information.

http://www.insidetoronto.com/news/local/article/1027853--police-use-social-media-to-help-search-for-abducted-child-mother

UPDATE:Missing Child PEARL GAVAGHAN Da MASSA MANCHESTER,ENGLAND Recovered


From posters@ncmec.org
Dear Poster partner,
Pearl Gavaghan Da Massa missing from Manchester, United Kingdom, has been recovered.

Delighted dad reunited with daughter, 7, after search in Mexico, US and Canada
September 26, 2011


Henry Da Massa with daughter Pearl

A dad has been reunited with his daughter nearly three years after she was taken abroad by her mother.

Henry Da Massa had not seen his daughter Pearl since she disappeared aged five after he dropped her off at her nursery in 2008.

He discovered Pearl’s mother Helen Gavaghan, 32, had taken the youngster from her Chorlton home to Mexico, the US and then Canada.

An international police hunt was launched and Henry moved from Manchester to Toronto in a bid to find Pearl.

But now he has finally been reunited with his daughter after she was found in Montreal.

He and Pearl, now seven, are on their way back to Manchester from Gatwick airport after the Canadian courts gave them permission to fly back to Britain.

It is believed Helen has been arrested and is being held in Canada.

Henry said: “I’m elated. It was only when we got on the plane that I really knew we were coming home. It was the end of the mayhem and we could finally get back to normality.”

Henry said he worked closely with Canadian authorities and Greater Manchester Police during his long and difficult search for his missing daughter.

The High Court ruled Helen had broken the law by taking Pearl out of the country and police had said she would be arrested if she returned to Britain.

Hopes were raised last summer after it emerged Pearl had been spotted in Toronto. Henry told the MEN at the time how he felt he was close to finding her.

But it was more than a year until they were finally reunited.

Henry, who used to live on Tib Street in Manchester city centre, met Helen while she was working at Matt And Phred’s jazz club in the Northern Quarter in 2003.

They had Pearl the following year. They split up and were granted joint custody just weeks before Helen, of Clifton Road, Chorlton, and Pearl disappeared.

Henry said: ““Pearl was told she didn’t have a father. We’ve had to go back to where we were three years ago and get used to each other again. She’s started to remember her old bedroom in Tib Street.

“I couldn’t have asked for more from the Montreal authorities. Finding and bringing Pearl home been a combination of hard work and good fortune, vigilance and the public response.”

http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/news/s/1459839_delighted-dad-reunited-with-daughter-7-after-search-in-mexico-us-and-canada

After hunting for three years, U.K. father finds his missing daughter in Montreal
September 26, 2011


A photo of Pearl Rose Gavaghan Da Massa (L) and father Henry Da Massa (R) in this September 2011 handout photo.
Pearl was abducted from Manchester, England on Deember 9, 2008 by her mother and taken to Canada without consent.
The daughter and father were reunited, and the two returned to Manchester

Pearl Da Massa was told she did not have a father. She was instructed to tell strangers her name was “Belle Flaherty.” For three years she cycled through Mexican hostels, Texas bus stations and Toronto group shelters with her mother, trying to keep one step ahead of an international police hunt.

It all came to an end last Friday, when Montreal police investigating an unrelated complaint unwittingly discovered the British seven-year-old whose face had been featured on missing posters, in newspaper reports and Interpol alerts since her fourth birthday.

“It was the end of the mayhem,” her father, Henry Da Massa, told the Manchester Evening News.

For 13 months, the Manchester-based jazz musician has been in Toronto, searching full-time for his daughter. On Sunday night, he and Pearl returned home.

“We’ve had to go back to where we were three years ago and get used to each other again,” he said.

He had last seen the girl in December 2008, when he dropped her off at the Old Moat Children’s Centre in Manchester, where her mother, Helen Gavaghan, was scheduled to pick her up.

The pair had struck up a romance in a Manchester jazz club in 2003 and Pearl was born the following year. However, the relationship quickly soured and by 2008 they were separated. A judge granted the parents joint custody of Pearl only a few weeks before she disappeared.

The next day, one of Ms. Gavaghan’s friends called him to tell him she had taken Pearl on a one-month vacation to India. It was the last he heard of her.

But over the next few months, British investigators began to pick up details of the pair’s true whereabouts.

Ms. Gavaghan and Pearl spent the night in an airport hotel, before leaving early the next day for Mexico. The woman was carrying a suitcase packed with more than $15,000 in cash.

Manchester Police were able to trace her movements through Mexico and the southern United States, following a paper-thin trail of hotel records.

“Investigations by both Greater Manchester Police and the father have shown that Helen had gone to great lengths to cover her tracks,” read a 2009 release by the High Court of Justice of England and Wales.

Using a passport in the name of Meta International, Ms. Gavaghan crossed into Canada in mid-January, 2009. Once over the border, she changed her name again to Dana Flaherty and checked into a Toronto shelter for homeless families.

When staffers approached Ms. Gavaghan with concerns about the girl not attending school and being denied medical care, she slipped away to live in a communal home housing U.S. war resisters, police later determined.

In an April press conference, Toronto Police called for Ms. Gavaghan to turn herself in. “The understanding is that Pearl has not been in school, that she has been doing home schooling and living in an alternative community,” Constable Wendy Drummond, a spokeswoman for the Toronto Police, said in April. “There is concern that her growth and maturity is not progressing as it should.”

By early summer, investigators suspected Ms. Gavaghan had moved again.

“The heat was a little bit too much because of all the publicity,” said Ted Davis, an investigator with the Missing Children Society of Canada, which had offered a $10,000 reward for Pearl’s return.

With the help of the Toronto Fugitive Squad, the society expanded its media campaign across Canada. “We knew she used public transit and buses, so those are some of the places we set up,” said Mr. Davis.

The girl’s face was soon appearing in newspapers, TV broadcasts and bulletin boards across the country.

Meanwhile, Mr. Da Massa kept a campaign on the Internet. His website, MissingPearl.org, was filled with photos of his daughter as a four-year-old and frequent police updates on Ms. Gavaghan’s whereabouts.

On Monday afternoon, all the site contained was a photo of Mr. Da Massa and the seven-year-old sitting together on a concrete stoop.

“I never advocate that a child should lose access to either parent, but if one parent is going to strive to take the child from the other parent, then steps have got to be taken to stop that,” said Mr. Davis.

Ms. Gavaghan remains in police custody in Canada where she will likely face extradition to Britain to face kidnapping charges.

“She’s going to have to deal with the legal ramifications in Britain and start dealing with being a mother again,” Mr. Davis added.

http://news.nationalpost.com/2011/09/26/after-hunting-for-three-years-u-k-father-finds-his-missing-daughter-in-montreal/

A TIP FROM A wary subway rider in Montreal ended a nearly three-year hunt for a missing British girl and led to an emotional reunion with her father, authorities said Tuesday.

Police and officials with the Canadian Centre for Child Protection said seven-year-old Pearl Gavaghan Da Massa has returned to her home in Manchester, along with the father who relocated to Canada to find her.

Police allege the girl was abducted in 2008 by her mother, Helen Gavaghan, and spirited through three different countries in an attempt to stay hidden.

The girl was discovered when Gavaghan’s suspicious behaviour sounded an alarm for a Montreal subway passenger, who then contacted police, said Christy Dzikowicz, director of the centre’s MissingKids.ca program.

The man did not recognize Pearl from any of the numerous photos of her distributed throughout the country, but contacted police two weeks ago after becoming worried about the way she was interacting with her mother.

"He thought that the mom was really clinging to the daughter and looking around very concerned and suspiciously," Dzikowicz said from Winnipeg.

"I don’t think he really knew, he just had a sense that there was something wrong."

Police investigated the call and immediately notified Pearl’s father, Henry Da Massa, that his child had been located. Da Massa was reunited with his daughter on Sept. 21.

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