Missing Sheffield girl found safe and well in Bradford

A 13-year-old school girl, who had been missing from her home in Sheffield for more than a week, was found safe and well in Bradford last night.

Erika Kacicova was last seen on Monday afternoon before she disappeared from her home in the Darnall area of Sheffield. She was tracked by the police nearly 40 miles away to Centenary Square in Bradford city centre, at 6.40pm yesterday.

More than 50 police officers carried out an extensive search for Erika, tracing her computer conversations with the various people who they believed had been in contact with the school girl over the last couple of days.

Four men and a woman have been arrested on suspicion of child abduction. The police said Erika had befriended the older men on the internet before she disappeared.

Erika’s father, who lives with his wife Jana and Erika’s younger sister Bozena, 10, and brother Stefan, 11, said his “beautiful” daughter had met an older man of Pakistani origin online through Facebook.

Commenting on the successful search, detective inspector Helen Tate of  South Yorkshire Police said: “It’s fantastic that we now have Erika safe and well. Our primary aim now is to concentrate on Erika’s wellbeing and begin to piece together her movements since she left home last Monday.”

However, Ms Tate refused to comment on whether Erika had been targeted by a “grooming gang”.

Aastha Gill