Toronto Police go door-to-door in search for Mariam Makhniashvili Special

A total of 60 Toronto police officers have started knocking on doors in an area where Mariam Makhniashvili was last seen at 8:30 a.m. on Sept. 14. The only clue police have so far is her backpack. Police call this knock-and-talk campaign unprecedented.

TORONTO – 60 police officers are out this morning knocking on doors in search of clues to the mysterious disappearance of 17-year-old Mariam Makhniashvili almost two months ago. Police describe the knock and talk campaign underway today as an “unprecedented canvass.” “They will go out this morning to knock on doors, door to door in an area of north Toronto,” said Const. Tony Vella in a telephone interview. “They will be physically knocking on doors in this neighbourhood.” Mariam vanished at around 8:30 a.m. on Sept. 14, just one day after she went with her brother to the Marilyn Bell Park to assist as volunteers at a YMCA dragon boat race program. The 5’ 3” ,brown-eyed girl’s backpack was found at the rear of 120 Eglington Avenue East on Oct. 8. A citizen found it and took it to police. Mariam was last seen near Bathurst Street and Eglington Avenue West. Police have continually searched for her without any clues turning up. On Oct. 15 officers from the 53 Division visited the Northern Secondary School to appeal for information about her whereabouts. On the same day, other officers visited the North Toronto Collegiate Institute at 70 Roehampton Avenue to ask students if they remembered anything that could help. As well, police have carried out two helicopter searches of the park she had visited previously. Vella said that in most missing person cases, investigators have a fairly good idea within 24 to 48 hours of a likely scenario. But in this case police appear to be stumped. “The key concern is that we don’t have an idea what happened to her,” he said. Mariam is described as white, 5'3", 140 lbs., light−brown shoulder−length hair, brown eyes. She was last seen wearing black pants, a light−blue shirt, dark−blue jean jacket carrying a large black backpack with a green stripe. (the backpack has now been recovered.)