Police investigating case of missing East Toledo girl

6/3/2013

Toledo police are looking for a 1½-year-old girl who is missing from an East Toledo residence.

Elaina Steinfurth was allegedly last seen Sunday at a residence in the 700 block of Federal Street where her mother -- Angela Steinfurth -- was staying for the night, police said in a report filed about 10 p.m. Sunday.

Police responding to a call of a missing child arrived at the residence about 3 p.m. and were told that Terry Steinfurth, the girl's father, had gone to the address to pick up his two daughters, a 4-year-old and a 1 1/2-year-old, but was allowed access to the 4-year-old only, police said.

Police said Mr. Steinfurth then left and picked up his father to be a go-between to keep things peaceful, with Ms. Steinfurth finally agreeing to allow him to have Elaina.

Ms. Steinfurth, police said, then went inside for 20 to 25 minutes only to come back stating that Elaina had been sleeping in the front bedroom but was now missing. The woman's live-in boyfriend, Steven King, Jr., had gone out of the back door, supposedly to look for the girl, police said.

Police said they later checked the residence "at least five times" and conducted door-to-door searches in the neighborhood but failed to find the girl. The incident remains under investigation, police said.

Sgt. Joe Heffernan would not say whether police suspect that the incident could involve an abduction, saying only that "[when] we have a 1 1/2-year-old girl missing, we're always concerned."