HEARING SOON ON DEATH DECLARATION OF TODDLER WHO DISAPPEARED IN SUSPICIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES

PORTLAND, MAINE A judge will convene a hearing on a woman’s request that her toddler daughter be declared dead more than five years after her disappearance set off a frantic search that evolved into the largest criminal investigation in state history.

The daughter, Ayla Reynolds, was 20 months old when she was reported missing in December 2011. A court has signed off on holding a hearing Sept. 21 to declare her dead.

Ayla was staying with her father, Justin DiPietro, when she disappeared. DiPietro told authorities that he tucked Ayla into bed on Dec. 16, 2011. The next morning, she was gone, he said.

Investigators who found Ayla’s blood inside the home, where her mother didn’t live, concluded that she was a victim of foul play. Detectives maintain adults in the home know more than they’ve told investigators.

The declaration would be the first step to asserting future legal claims and holding accountable those responsible for Ayla’s death.