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A photo of 7-year-old Misaki Ogura released by Yamanashi prefectural police
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Yamanashi police end 16-day search for missing 7-year-old girl

22 Comments

Yamanashi prefectural police have ended their large-scale search for a seven-year-old girl who went missing from a mountainous campsite in Doshi-mura on Sept 21. Officials said Sunday they would end their large-scale search efforts due to a lack of leads in the case, but would continue information-gathering activities.

Misaki Ogura, from Narita City in Chiba Prefecture, had come to the campsite with her mother and group of about 30 family friends. She was last seen by her mother at about 3:40 p.m. on Saturday Sept 21, running by herself after a group of children in the woods.

Since her disappearance, more than 1,700 police, firefighters and Self-Defense Force personnel have searched for her. Drones and tracker dogs have been used and long grass has been chopped down. A stream that runs through the area was searched as well as a nearby dam. But no trace of Misaki has been found.

On Sunday afternoon, Misaki's mother Tomoko, 36, who has remained at the campsite, told media: “I feel both grateful to all the searchers and disappointed. I will never give up the search for my daughter.”

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22 Comments
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I'm not an investigator or expert on the matter but animal attacks should be ruled out since it would leave lots of evidence but I hate to say this but she could have been taken since there was hardly any trace. My question is this, are there any cavernous systems, sink holes or other underground features near that campsite? If tracker dogs and drones can't find her, then I'm guessing that she could've fallen inside one of those holes if there are any.

7 ( +9 / -2 )

There is a stream, and they searched a lot around it, assuming she fell in. I am not an expert, but the most plausible explanation to me seems kidnapping. Let's hope in a miracle

15 ( +16 / -1 )

I wonder what has happened to this poor little girl. This place is not very remote and she should have been found or at least seen by one of the local residents. I can't help but think that something sinister has happened to her. :-(

11 ( +12 / -1 )

There was news of one of the volunteer rescue workers missing? Was he found?

5 ( +5 / -0 )

Tragic. My heart goose out to her, her family, and her friends.

Thabk you to all involved in the search.

9 ( +10 / -1 )

There was news of one of the volunteer rescue workers missing? Was he found?

Apparently there were two rescuers that had got into difficulties. Both have been found.

It really is very very easy to get lost in the mountains in Japan., I live at the bottom of a fairly minor mountain and there is a sign with pictures of the hikers who have gone missing on it. It really is the most likely scenario in this case.

3 ( +5 / -2 )

Heartbreaking.

Still hoping for a miracle.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Even in an abduction there would be signs of some kind of struggle or movement in the ground where the dog's would have picked up some kind of scent but nothing.

Fight, flight or freeze. The girl is 7 and does not look like the strong type. What's she going to do against a full grown man who suddenly grabs her and throws in his car and likely came prepared? What scent do you think is going be left behind that is going to make the dogs flip out, what with other people all over that campsite?

Plus, as far as I know, actual rescue dogs did not arrive until after it rained. And by then, even more people had been all over the site. That means that even if some local resident grabbed her and had her in the house, the dogs would not find her. Any tracks would be a long gone in the mud.

NO one goes POOF.

Some effectively do. It really helps when the "authorities" are dead slow to respond and by my estimation, highly incompetent.

5 ( +6 / -1 )

It seems the authority’s made a massive effort to find her. Hoping for a miracle for the child’s sake.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Just terribly sad.

Unfortunately the outlook does not look good at this point.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Parents who take their children to a remote area should place a whistle, on a lanyard, around the child's neck. They then at least have something to signal for help. Cell phones would be useless in some remote areas, no signal.

6 ( +6 / -0 )

Where's Dad in all this?

-2 ( +2 / -4 )

It seems the authority’s made a massive effort to find her. Hoping for a miracle for the child’s sake.

agree. Kudos to the japanese authorities for a huge search and rescue endeavor

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Parents should start considering implanting a tracking device into their kids, or at least make them wear a bracelet with GPS - like wearing a seat belt. No exceptions.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

Parents should start considering implanting a tracking device into their kids

That would actually facilitate kidnapping as over-dependence on technology occurs. What the parents should have done is had a group pow-wow where all the kids were introduced to each other instead of just released randomly into the wild. Some sort of buddy system would have also been like magic.

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

Sad news, my heart goes out to the parents, family and friends of Misaki

1 ( +1 / -0 )

After this long time of intensive search, it really looks more like a crime than an case of getting lost, doesn't it.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I'm convinced that this was a random abduction.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I'm convinced that this was a random abduction.

What evidence are you basing that on?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I lived in Doshi mura for a decade some time ago. The small town people were wonderful. The police thought that the girl was taken by another camper. But if all the campers were with other people and kids, how could they do this? So I think that they should FOCUS ON A PERSON FROM DOSHI near the camp area. A young man who passed by the bridge for work who came upon the child and offered her a ride. He then spirited her away to the Tsuru-shi road left, or the Tokyo road right. Maybe got scared and dumped her somewhere.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Please, please investigate certain people especially young male workers who livesin this area of Doshi Village. I think the focus has been the other campers up until now. It might have been by opportunity that this seven year old was abducted by the bridge.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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