A 2-year-old girl and her parents are safe, police in Maine say, after months spent looking for them in an effort that included the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
Lydia Hansen and her parents, Jill Sidebotham and Nicholas Hansen, were last heard from near Springvale June 28, when Sidebotham last contacted her family, saying she would be going on a camping trip to rural Western Maine and returning on June 30.
The Sanford Police Department had been searching for them since July 2 along with state, federal and other local law enforcement. There were sightings at Coos Canyon Campground in Byron, Maine, and a Walmart store in Mexico, Maine, and investigators called the case unusual.
But on Tuesday, detectives were able to speak with Lydia and her parents, according to police. They said in a statement that "each party is unharmed and safe, and no evidence of criminal behavior has been observed."
At their request, the statement didn't share where the family was or why they left, but police did say that local law enforcement met up with them and verified they were safe.
Investigators had previously noted they had no firm reason to believe the family was in distress, but that Sidebotham was close with her family, who told them it was strange that she would not be in contact.
