Police are continuing their search for the little girl that went missing from Sanur on Saturday, while the girl’s family is battling allegations of domestic abuse from local media.
Eight-year-old Angeline disappeared from her Sanur home on Jl. Tuberose, Saturday afternoon, when the family had reportedly thought she had been playing at her neighbor’s house.
Desperate, Bali police tried to involve K-9 units to track down the girl, but these efforts were unsuccessful.
“We also had to involve K-9 to determine the direction of travel of the child from out of the house. But only a few meters from the house, the dogs were just spinning in place,” Bali Police Chief Ronny Sompie said in Denpasar on Tuesday, as quoted by Kompas.
Sompie also said that investigators are still trying to collect data and witnesses to be questioned in order to facilitate the discovery of the child. Angeline reportedly was adopted, so today police continued to investigate the girl’s adoptive parents’ home.
Police have extended their search from beyond Bali to Banyuwangi, East Java to determine whether there is a link from the girl’s biological parents. Reports say Angeline had lived with her adopted parents in Sanur since she was just three days old.
Meanwhile, in the midst of the search, local media has brought the question of domestic abuse into play. Tribun Bali offered headlines such as Anak 8 Tahun yang Hilang, Korban KDRT? and Polda Bali: Bocah 8 Tahun yang Hilang Sering Dimarahi Ibunya.
However, it seems police are careful enough not to make any brazen claims before getting more evidence.
Speaking of abuse potential abuse, East Denpasar Police Chief Commissioner I Gede Redastra was quoted by Tribun Bali as saying, “There are witnesses who say so, but it is clear at this time that we, the police, do not dare to speculate. There are all possibilities. But we currently only focus on (Angeline’s) search.”
There has been a lot of action on the Facebook page Find Angeline – Bali’s Missing Child, which was set up by Angeline’s family to disseminate information about the girl’s disappearance and is another effort to track her down. There’s even a post with photos of Angeline and her adopted sister, asking if she looks abused, in an attempt to battle the abuse allegation.
