Following three harrowing months, the whereabouts and welfare of seven-year-old Giselle Candice Kelly Silva, also known as ‘Ellie’, are still unknown.
Since Ellie visited her father, Filipe Silva, on July 15 at his home in Vilamoura, for what was meant to be a two-week holiday (also see Algarve Resident, September 7 and 21 editions), the young girl has not been allowed any form of contact with Candice Gannon, her mother and sole custodial parent.
Failing to return Ellie to her mother on July 31, a national warrant for the arrest of Filipe Silva and the safe return of his daughter was issued on September 14 by the Juvenile and Family Court of Faro, and police officers were sent to Silva’s home address to pick up Ellie and arrest her father.
Upon arrival the authorities found no trace of Silva or Ellie.
Ignoring the warrant issued against him, Silva is currently withholding any information regarding the location of Ellie and the PSP, GNR and PJ have so far been unable to locate the pair.
A Schengen alert has since been issued for Ellie, and was distributed to all GNR, PSP, PJ and SEF stations on October 5.
This governmental alert is used by 25 European countries to distribute urgent information about missing individuals, to alert border control and to bring attention to other law enforcement agencies.
Speaking to the Algarve Resident, a distressed Candice said: “Ellie’s whereabouts, safety, physical and psychological welfare are unknown. Nobody has seen her or spoken to her since she was ‘evaluated’ by the GNR in Vilamoura on August 4.
“I have not seen my little girl in three months and I do not know if she is dead or alive. I am very worried about Ellie’s safety, as this is possibly a very dangerous situation now, and I am depending on the Portuguese authorities to protect her,” she added.
Candice and Ellie moved from the Algarve to live in Madeira with Philip Gannon (Ellie’s step-father) and Olivia Gannon (Ellie’s half-sister) in 2010, as Candice’s custodial agreement obliges her to reside within Portugal.
“No one knows how Ellie is coping emotionally with this very distressing situation. Before leaving to visit her father, she was such a happy child, with loving family and friends surrounding her. We all miss her and love her so very much. I just want to see my little girl home safe and well,” Candice concluded.
If you have any information regarding the whereabouts of Ellie, please contact your local police station. S.M.
