Grace Hughes FOUND! 5-year-old girl located safely 12 days after cops warned about 'despicable' group hiding her
Update: On Friday, August 19 shortly after 2 pm Northern Territory Police released a statement saying they had located Grace and her mother Laura Hinks. Grace went through a medical check but is in good physical condition. Her mother is also assisting police with their inquiries.
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BERRIMAH, AUSTRALIA: Australian Federal Police have joined the search for missing five-year-old girl, Grace Hughes, with authorities claiming a 'despicable' group that "peddles ideologies and false information" has abducted her.
Grace and her mother Laura Hinks, also known as Laura Bolt, have been missing from a home in Berrimah, Darwin, since August 9. Officials have revealed that Grace hasn’t been seen since Hinks took her without the permission of her 'legal guardian' during a supervised parental visit at 1 pm last Sunday.
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Local cops and Australian Federal Police have pledged to bring Grace home and are taking every possible steps to reunite the little one with her guardians. In the latest development, Northern Territory Detective Acting Senior Sergeant Jon Beer claimed that the group that has abducted Grace is continuing to "peddle ideologies and false information."
"NT Police will continue to target this group and any other persons assisting the ongoing harbouring of Grace," Sgt Beer said. ‘Police will use every power available to them to locate Grace. Anyone who is found to have harboured those who abducted Grace will face significant charges before the courts."
Before the claim, the Northern Territory police had charged a 50-year-old woman in connection with Grace's disappearance. The women was charged with one count of abducting a child under 16 and one count of attempting to abduct a child under 16. She appeared in court on Monday and refused to provide any information regarding the abduction of the little girl.
Detective Superintendent Kirsten Engels said that the alleged abduction of Grace will affect her mental health and leave her with childhood trauma. "We know that there will be people in the community that can assist us, they will know where Grace is and they'll be able to help us," she said on Sunday. "We're asking you to do the right thing, reach out and call the police and let us know what information you have, no matter how small."
She further said police have been trying their best to find Grace so she can get back to her everyday normal life. "Whatever issues that are preventing her return should and could be dealt with in appropriate ways, taking Grace in this matter is not appropriate," she said.
"Our primary concern is the wellbeing and safety of Grace, knowing that this would be a very traumatic event being removed from this meeting and separated from her siblings. It is likely to have a detrimental effect on her mental and psychological wellbeing," she added.
Grace is described as a little girl with a fair complexion, brown hair, and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a short-sleeved white dress, as well as white socks and black sneakers. While her mother has a fair complexion, a slim build, and dark hair and eyes. She was last seen wearing a white and green floral-patterned ankle-length dress or skirt, with a white or cream long-sleeved shirt.
Anyone with information is urged to contact the police or Crime Stoppers.