Celina Cass, 11. N.H. deceased

[Lady Cop]

NHPR
Eleven-year-old Celina Cass not seen since Monday evening.

Some people who know 11-year-old Celina Cass said they are devastated that she disappeared from her home Monday night. But there’s one more thing that makes it even worse.

“She was very shy. If she didn’t know you she would look to her older sister to make sure you were okay,” said Kayla Baglio, 18.

So, some people find it hard to believe she would have run away, much less gone anywhere with somebody she didn’t know.

And that has some of them suddenly worrying about letting their children go out alone.

That’s an unusual thing in a village of 900 people where neighborly trust was the norm.

“We want to know, are our families safe,” said one mother, who declined to be identified.

That’s the only question senior assistant attorney general Jane Young answered during a news conference across from Celina’s home on Wednesday night.

“We would remind people and parents to remain vigilant at all times,” said Young who said state, local police and the now the F.B.I. were working hard to find the girl.

Kieran Ramsey, the supervisory special agent for the F.B.I. in New Hampshire said the agency has deployed its “Child Abduction Rapid Deployment Team.”

But despite all that manpower both Young and Ramsey stressed the need for help from the public.

“Right now we believe that the media and the public are law enforcement’s best ally in this effort and we ask the people of New Hampshire and surrounding states to remain vigilant and assist us,” Ramsey said.

Young often handles criminal cases, but said “take nothing of that other than this is New Hampshire and we are putting all our assets to bringing this child home safely.”

She said the disappearance was still being treated as a missing-person case.

She declined to say why no amber alert has been issued.

Late Wednesday afternoon police put crime-scene tape around the large house – which had been converted to apartments - where the family lived. The occupants were moved out.