Hampshire PoliceA 13-year-old girl from Basingstoke in Hampshire who has been missing for six days boarded a train to Reading before her disappearance, police have said.
Lyla Lake was last seen at Reading train station on Wednesday 21 December at 21:57 GMT, officers said, as they escalated appeals for information.
Her cousin, the Olympic athlete Morgan Lake, asked anyone who may know anything to come forward.
Lyla is described as mixed race, 5ft 6in (1.68m) tall and of medium build.
She has long brown hair and brown eyes, and was last seen wearing a black puffer jacket, grey jogging bottoms and white trainers.
In a new CCTV image released by Hampshire Police, Lyla – who is also known as Lyla-Jane – is seen carrying a black Sports Direct bag for life at Reading train station.
Previously, police said she was last seen 22km (14 miles) away in Simmons Walk, Basingstoke, close to her family home.
Det Ch Insp Dave Storey said: “Together with Lyla’s family we are growing increasingly concerned for her welfare.
“We now know that she took a train to Reading and it is possible she is still in that area.
“Therefore we are extending our appeal to the Reading area and are asking anyone who thinks they have seen Lyla since she went missing or anyone who thinks they might know where she is, to call us immediately.”
Writing on Twitter, Morgan Lake, who was the first British woman to make an Olympic high jump for more than two decades at the Rio Games in 2016, appealed for information on Christmas Eve.
PLEASE SHARE ⚠️
My 13 year old cousin Lyla-Jane Lake has been missing for 3 nights now. Last seen in Basingstoke at around 9pm on Wednesday night. Police are involved but if anyone has any information please contact me. pic.twitter.com/1S8ZzfUXIQ— Morgan Lake (@morgan_a_lake) December 24, 2022
In a further appeal on Tuesday, Lyla’s father Nathan said his daughter never left the house after 20:00 without her parents and has not stayed overnight with anyone besides her family for over 18 months.
“Someone must know something,” he said. “Lyla, if you are watching this, daddy loves you so much. If anything is worrying you it is nothing that can’t be sorted. So please, please just come home.”
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