Missing teen says went to visit father

Reports surrounding the missing Waiakabra, Linden- Soesdyke Highway teenager Jessica Fidel who has since been found and reunited with her grandparents have been the source of much controversy.
Information reaching Guyana Times reveal that Bibi Nizam, the stepmother of the teen, told Police that the child called her father, Dennis Fidel and told him that she was on her way to spend the holiday with him. She said that she and the father met the teenager at Parika and took her to their Vilvoorden, Essequibo Coast home.
The family of the teen is, however, disputing this information, since according to them, both her father and stepmother are unknown to her. The family stated that the child’s father left her mother when she was just two years old and has never been a part of her life.
It is their belief that the father’s family and other known individuals who live in the same neighbourhood as the child influenced and assisted her in running away from her grandparents’ home and going to her father.
According to the child’s grandparents, she could not have made the trip to her father without financial backing and information since she has never visited Essequibo.
They do not believe that the father will add any positive values to her life based on his lifestyle and behaviours, which resulted in him leaving for the interior and never returning. As such, the grandparents called on the Police to investigate who aided the teen in making the trip.
The teen, who disappeared without a trace on July 7, 2019, was found at Aurora Village, Essequibo Coast, Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam).
Reports are that Police located the teen on Monday after acting on a tip-off. The teen was found in the company of two women, who operate a bar at Aurora Village.
The teen, who was reunited with her family, was questioned at Timehri Police Station and released into her family’s care. She will also be interviewed by the Welfare Department of the Child Care and Protection Agency.
“We are happy that she was found safe. How she got to Essequibo remains a mystery. She isn’t saying much, but we believe that she was aided by someone and the Police are investigating the matter,” a relative said.
The Police will be questioning a few persons after welfare officers conclude their report.
The family expressed appreciation to the ranks of the Timehri Police Station and the Policing Group, who exercised patience and assisted them in locating the teen.