UPDATE: Mathilde Geoffroy-Aubé has been found. Our original article follows
A third teenager has gone missing from a Laval youth centre.
16-year-old Sarah Hauptman was the first teenager to disappear. She went missing on Sunday morning while spending the weekend at her parents and her whereabouts are still unknown.
Her roomate, 14-year-old Kelly Martin Nolet, ran away on Monday but was located Wednesday afternoon.
Now the centre reports that 16-year-old Mathilde Geoffroy-Aubé also disappeared on Monday.
Aubé's parents said their daughter has run away many times before, and has tried to make it to provinces out west.
Laval police said when Mathilde was found before, she was in an apartment and may likely be under the control of a pimp.
Insp. Alain Meilleur of Laval police's major crimes unit says several girls who live in the group home are targeting other girls to become prostitutes.
"These young girls are often victims themselves. They don't realize they're victims, they think it's normal, and they talk to friends, and they say 'I'll go with you, that sounds like fun,'" said Meilleur.
Multiple runaways
This is not the first time Sarah has run away though her parents say this is the longest she’s been gone.
“Every time we found her within 24 hours, but now it’s been three days, so we’re going nuts,” said father Eric Hauptman.
According to the Hauptmans, Sarah’s history of disappearing was the reason she was placed in the group home in November.
She would spend Monday to Friday at the group home, then come to her family home for weekends.
Early Sunday morning, Sarah took off.
"When I opened up the door the screen on the window was off and the window was wide open, so we knew right away that she ran away," said Hauptman.
Her mother, Josée Chaput, thinks pimps are going online to target teenagers.
"The problem is internet. If we wouldn't have internet nothing like this would happen because they're coming in your house so there's nothing you can do as a parent," said Chaput.
"We think that it was planned with street gangs," said Hauptman. "They probably came to pick her up nearby and she ran away with them."
Marjolaine Aubé, Mathilde's mother, says this is the sixth time her daughter has run away. She fears her daughter is involved in a prostitution ring.
"I don't want anyone to touch my daughter," she said.
Kelly Martin Nolet ran away on Monday, and her mother Sandra Nolet said the blonde teen was found buying dark hair dye at a Wal-Mart when a passerby recognized her from a photo.
Nolet said she believes someone had been trying to lure her daughter into prostitution and that Kelly had been trying to send photos to another girl who had been telling her glamorous stories about escort work.
Nolet said she found evidence on Kelly’s iPad that her daughter had been looking into prostitution.
“It’s for sure that my daughter never wanted to have dark hair so I’m certain somebody convinced her,” she said. “To have dark hair is very surprising and not like her.”
Government concerned
Public Security Minister Martin Coiteux, speaking in Quebec City, said he is concerned by the multiple runaways.
He said more work needs to be done in terms of preventing gangs from associating with teens at risk, and working with different partners including police.
"We have been working on this before but we will intensify our efforts. This means we have to work beyond repression, which is very important. Prevention is extremely important," said Coiteux.
"This is going to be the combined forces of everybody involved. The social services, the police, everybody working together."
At the youth center in question, a spokesperson says given these most recent runaway cases, some of their educational programs will be re-evaluated to make sure the teens are talking about sexual exploitation and the role social media is playing in recruiting these girls.
According to Laval police spokesperson Franco Di Genova, it’s not unheard of for pimps to target young girls living in group homes.
“It doesn’t happen that often, but it does happen,” he said.
In Hauptman’s case, her father said he believes her disappearance was planned by a street gang who she then ran away with.
“We’re really fearful for her safety,” said Hauptman. “We love you and we want you back home.”
Descriptions
Sarah Hauptman is 16 years old with green eyes and light brown hair.
She stands 1.66 m, and weighs 65 kg (5'6", 140 lbs).
Sarah speaks English and French.
Mathilde Geoffroy-Aubé is 16 years old with brown hair and blue eyes.
She stands 1.72m and weighs 57 kg (5'8", 125 lb).
On her left hand she has a tattoo of a black diamond, and her right cheek is pierced.
The last time she was seen Mathilde was wearing a black coat with a fur collar, beige boots, and blue jeans.
Anyone who sees Mathilde or Sarah is asked to call 9-1-1 or call Laval police at 450-662-4636.
