Desperate search for missing 7-year-old girl in Lowell continues into 2nd day

LOWELL, Mass. — The search for a missing girl in Lowell resumed Monday morning as the desperate effort to track her down continued into a second day.

Neighbors and first responders searched for Anna, a non-verbal girl on the autism spectrum throughout Sunday afternoon and well into the night.

The search ramped back up around 7 a.m. with ATV riders and dozens of officers from multiple police departments as heavy rain began to fall across the region.

Investigators say Anna is likely barefoot and does not have her bike with her.

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Anna is black, weighs 70 pounds, and is about 4′7″ according to Lowell police. She was last seen wearing black shorts, a white vest, and a purple hair tie in the driveway of her East Merrimack Street home in the Belvedere neighborhood between 2 and 3 p.m.

Neighbors, teachers, and other community members took to the streets, blowing bubbles and calling out desperately for Anna before the sun went down.

“She’s one of four children but every child is special,” said neighbor Deborah Agrella. “We’re all devastated.

“We see her skedaddle quite a bit because she doesn’t understand. Her mother will turn her back and she’s like a roadrunner,” said Agrella, punctuating the statement with a zooming gesture.

As the light began to fade, Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan issued an urgent plea to Belvidere residents to search their backyards, sheds, boats, and anywhere else that a child might be able to hide are priorities.

Lowell Superintendent Greg Hudon asked residents of Lowell and Tewksbury, in particular those who live in the areas of East Merrimack Street and River Road, to check any surveillance cameras they have on their property.

“We are asking people to go outside to do a real search of their backyards, of playhouses, under wood piles, in a shed they may have,” said Ryan. “Any place that a 4′7″, 70-pound, 7-year-old little girl could be hiding.”

Police scoured the area with bikes, four-wheelers, K9 units, and a drone hoping to find Anna before nightfall. Dive teams searched the Merrimack River, which runs alongside the neighborhood.

“‘What if that was our kid’ That’s how we feel,” said neighbor Christina Cervantes. “We just gotta got out there and look for her like she’s our baby.”

Although the DA originally stated the search for Anna would pause for the night shortly before 10 p.m., Lowell police did say some officers would continue searching into the early hours of Monday morning.

Search suspended for the night for missing 7-year-old girl in Lowell

Family friends told Boston 25 News they had just seen Anna with her family earlier in the day at church and said that they are still holding out hope for a positive outcome.

“We’re asking everyone for prayers. This is heartbreaking and we’re just hoping, we’re praying. We’ve seen god do miracles. We are trusting this will end up well,” said Beatrice Njuguna.

Officials hope that Anna got lost or fell asleep somewhere outside. Police have been reviewing surveillance cameras from a number of homes in an effort to retrace Anna’s whereabouts.

Residents can expect a large police presence in the area during the search.

Anyone with information regarding Anna’s disappearance is asked to call 911 or Lowell police at 978-937-3200.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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