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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Zoe Tidman

Maddie Thomas: Three men arrested on suspicion of child abduction after missing girl, 15, found

Avon and Somerset Police

Three men have been arrested on suspicion of child abduction after missing 15-year-old Maddie Thomas was found in Bristol.

Police had been searching for the teenager for more than two weeks after she disappeared from her home in the city.

She was found at an address in Bristol on Thursday afternoon, according to Avon and Somerset Police.

Three men who were there at the time have been arrested, the force said.

Detective Inspector Laura Miller from Avon and Somerset Police said: “We’re delighted to confirm Maddie has been found.”

She said the men who had been taken into custody would “soon be questioned by officers” in a statement released on Thursday afternoon.

Avon and Somerset Police and Maddie’s family had appealed for her whereabouts (Avon and Somerset Police)

“We’re extremely grateful for all the support the public gave us in our search for Maddie and would like to reassure them she is now being provided with all the care and support she needs,” DI Miller said.

“We appreciate there is significant interest in this case and I’d ask people not to speculate and to think about the impact it may have on Maddie and her loved ones.”

The force said enquiries were ongoing.

Maddie had last been seen on 26 April, when she left her foster parents’ address in the Southmead area of Bristol and said she was going to the shops.

Police said on Wednesday they were no longer treating her disappearance as a missing person case but as child abduction.

Officers said she had a history of meeting people online who she believed could give her money or a place to stay but – as she had not made contact with friends – feared she may be being held against her will.

Maddie’s foster parents and family have been informed she has been found.

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