Two girls, 14, charged after toddler vanishes from Perth park
Two teenage girls have been charged after a toddler vanished at a Perth playground on Sunday sparking a frantic search around the local area.
The parents of 18-month-old Audrey, Matthew and Erin Passmore, feared the worst when they couldn't find the toddler at the Kwinana Adventure Playground, south of Perth, but she was returned to them 20 minutes later.
The relieved dad noticed she was wearing different clothes and not the "green bathers" he'd last seen her in.
Western Australia Police said the teen girls had walked to a nearby shopping centre with Audrey after snatching her, where they allegedly purchased a new outfit for the toddler.
Local parkgoers led police in that direction after noticing the girls with the baby. Police found one of the girls with Audrey on a nearby street soon after.
A short time later, the second 14-year-old girl was taken into custody at the Kwinana Marketplace shopping centre, a statement revealed.
'I think somebody's taken my daughter'
Mr Passmore was informed his daughter was missing when another family told him "we’ve seen your daughter with somebody". Ms Passmore was at work when she got the dreaded call.
Mr Passmore was just metres away getting ice cream for his family at the time while relatives watched Audrey, Seven News reported.
Another family claimed to have spotted the two girls carrying the young child and running from the park, so they swiftly followed.
When the search had begun, the girls approached caretakers of the park with the child and were advised to wait under the patio area while the child's parents were notified. But they didn't wait, police said.
On hearing the news, Mr Passmore called local police before posting on Twitter.
"I think someone’s taken my daughter," he wrote.
"Have called police but if you are in Kwinana and if you see a 1yr old looking bub in green bathers please let me know asap."
Two teen girls charged
It wasn't long before Mr Passmore was reunited with his daughter who had "no idea what happened", he wrote on Twitter.
The rattled dad said he's "never been more scared in my life" as he thanked the "absolutely amazing angels of people" who followed the teens and ultimately saved his daughter.
After taking the young girls into custody yesterday, police questioned the two teenage girls who were “assisting police with their inquiries”.
Both 14-year-old girls have been charged with taking a person forcibly, fraudulently taking, enticing away and detaining a child under 16.
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