Maine judge to weigh death declaration for missing toddler
PORTLAND, Maine — Authorities have uncovered no evidence that toddler Ayla Reynolds is still alive despite the more than 1,000 leads they’ve received since her 2011 disappearance, state police said Thursday.
Ayla’s mother, Trista Reynolds, asked at a court hearing in Portland that her daughter be declared dead. She testified Thursday alongside a state police lieutenant.
A declaration would allow a wrongful-death lawsuit against Ayla’s father, Justin DiPietro, to proceed. The 20-month-old was staying with DiPietro in Waterville when she disappeared in December 2011, triggering a massive search.
William Childs, an attorney representing Trista Reynolds, said the matter is now in the hands of Joseph Mazziotti, a Cumberland County probate judge. It’s unclear when Mazziotti will make a decision, Childs said.