No new leads in Mariam case
Police trying to corroborate brother's story
Last Updated: Friday, November 20, 2009 | 7:49 PM ET
CBC News
Police have wrapped up interviews with some 1,000 students at the high school that missing Toronto teen Mariam Makhniashvili attended, but have not uncovered any new leads.
Mariam Makhniashvili was last seen Sept. 14. (Toronto Police Service) Makhniashvili, who was 17 when she disappeared, was reportedly last seen by her brother, George, who told police the two walked together to Forest Hill Collegiate, near Bathurst Street and Eglinton Avenue West, on Sept. 14.
Her brother said she chose to use a different door to enter the school.
Police started interviewing each of the 980 students at the school on Monday in an effort to find someone who can confirm George Makhniasvhili's account, said lead investigator Det.-Sgt Dan Nealon.
"We're certainly looking for someone to corroborate that story, but again you have to remember it's difficult for the students, it's difficult for the residents, given the fact this young lady, Mariam, had only been in the neighbourhood for three months and was considered an introvert by her parents," Nealon told the CBC's Jamie Strashin in an exclusive interview.
Nealon said followup interviews have been scheduled with some students, and that the police have identified some "persons of interest." But there is so far no evidence that a crime has taken place, he said.
The only tangible evidence in the case was uncovered Oct. 8, when police found Mariam's backpack in a parking lot behind 120 Eglinton Ave. E., Nealon said.
'You have to expect the worst'
Mariam and her brother lived in Tblisi, Georgia, before coming to Toronto in June to reunite with their parents.
Her parents, Vakhtang Makhniashvili and Lela Tabidze, arrived in Canada from Los Angeles a few months earlier. The two had lived in the U.S. for five years.
Police have investigated a number theories regarding her disappearance — ranging from a possible abduction to a runaway — but have not been able to zero in on anything, he said.
"No avenue is a wrong avenue in this investigation," Nealon said.
"In an investigation of this nature … you have to expect the worst, and investigate it as though something happened for the worst."
Investigators have contacted friends and family in Georgia, but for now this investigation will focus on Toronto exclusively, Nealon said.
