Whānau, police search for missing 17-year-old girl in Whanganui

A whānau is calling for support from the public to help find missing mokopuna, 17-year-old Mercedes Capri Haddon, in Whanganui.

Whānau spokesperson Gina Melody-Roore said Mercedes was last seen by the family on Monday, January 15, at 8am at Kowhai Park.

“She was last seen wearing a blue hoodie, dark blue track pants and a black and red Māori jacket,” Melody-Roore said.

Mercedes had fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs) so was vulnerable and “if whānau approach her please be careful”, Melody-Roore said.

“She has some disabilities that make her our special mokopuna. She’s personable. However, if she were to come across you, and she didn’t like you, she’d let you know.”

Since yesterday, up to 30 family members have been searching for Mercedes in Whanganui. Melody-Roore said the public could help with the search by checking security cameras for any sightings of the teenager.

“Help bring our moko home. She needs to be home with her whānau,” Melody-Roore said.

“The message to our community is, if you have security cameras in the vicinity of Hackett St to Kowhai Park, Kowhai Park down Glasgow St and in town, if people could check their footage anywhere from 8am yesterday to dark yesterday.”

The police told Te Ao Māori News they were following lines of inquiry to locate Mercedes.

Melody-Roore said: “The police are doing all the background investigation mahi for us, the CCTV in official premises and things like that. They’re out and about in the community as we are as a whānau and we’re just working with them to try to cover as much as we can.”

Anyone with information that could help find Mercedes is asked to contact the police by calling 105.