PORTLAND — The mother of a toddler missing for five months says she’s begging, pleading and praying for someone to come forward with information that will help solve the mystery of what happened to her child, who disappeared from her bed just a week before Christmas.

Trista Reynolds said she awakens every day hoping for answers to the disappearance of her daughter, Ayla, but there has been precious little information from law enforcement in recent weeks.

“We wake up every morning and there’s a possibility that she’s out there, there’s a possibility that she’s coming home to me. Every morning I wake up and say, ‘Please let today be the day. Please let me have some answers,'” Reynolds said.

Ayla was 20 months old when she was reported missing on Dec. 17 from the home of her father, Justin DiPietro, in Waterville.

State police confirmed Ayla’s blood was found in the home. Police have said that the three adults in the house on the night Ayla went missing know more than they’re telling police.

The adults have speculated the child was somehow abducted, but police have dismissed that theory.

“This case continues to be worked upon by investigators and there will be more searches. And the work continues,” said Steve McCausland of the Maine Department of Public Safety.

DiPietro didn’t return a call from The Associated Press.

In Portland, Reynolds’ family is angry and upset that there are no answers. They’re waiting to see if items retrieved from the Kennebec River in Waterville earlier this month have anything to do with Ayla.


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