Father of Edmonton girl says daughter was manipulated online before disappearance
CBC
An Edmonton man says his daughter was fun-loving and kind but started to change as the 13-year-old got caught up in psychological games with an older man online.
Noah Madrano, 40, was arrested by FBI agents in Oregon a week after the girl was reported missing. He is charged with rape, sexual abuse and kidnapping and is to appear again in Oregon City court July 12.
"Your kids are safer playing in the park than they are playing on the internet," the girl's father said in an interview with The Canadian Press Wednesday.
CBC News is not identifying the man or his daughter, to protect her identity as a minor.
The father said his family has child controls on all their electronics and had talked about internet safety. They also monitored the girl's tablet.
His daughter's personality started shifting about a year ago, he said, and she became even more isolated just before she disappeared. In recent weeks, he had spoken with her about how different her online persona was compared to how she acted in person.
He thought maybe it was teen angst. Maybe his daughter was trying to figure herself out and this was just a phase.
Little did he know, the father said, that a stranger in another country was part of the problem.
The father said he isn't sure how their communication began. But they had conversations on multiple popular social media platforms.
The man gained a bit of trust with his daughter, the father said.
"Then his hooks are in," he said.
The father alleges the man broke down his daughter's spirit and self-worth, then used manipulation to isolate her from friends and family and her social network.
When his daughter's self-esteem was crushed, the man welcomed her into his world, the father said. The man told her he loved her and accepted her.
The girl was last seen arriving at her junior high school but she didn't show up for class. She was reported missing June 24. Police said it is believed the suspect travelled to Edmonton, but it's not clear how the girl crossed the U.S. border.