LYLA'S SAFE
Lyla-Jane Lake, 13, found safe after dad makes heartbreaking plea a week after she vanished
A TEENAGE girl who vanished just days before Christmas has been found safe after her dad shared a heartbreaking plea.
Lyla-Jane Lake, 13, disappeared from Basingstoke, Hampshire, last Wednesday with cops saying she caught a train to Reading.
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The youngster, whose cousin is Team GB Olympian Morgan Lake, had never gone missing before.
But there was finally good news as Hampshire Police tweeted in the early hours of today: "We're pleased to tell you that 13-year-old Lyla, who was missing from Basingstoke, has been found safe.
"Thank you to everyone who shared our appeals and contacted us with information."
Her dad Nathan Lake previously urged anyone with information to get in touch as he told the youngster: "Daddy loves you."
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He said in a video: "My daughter Lyla has been missing for five nights and my family and I are pleading for someone out there just to please come forth with any information surrounding Lyla’s whereabouts.
"Lyla is very insecure and naive for her age, but she is never out of the house after 8pm without her parents and hasn't stayed overnight anywhere besides her family members for over 18 months.
"Someone must know something. Lyla, if you are watching this, Daddy loves you so much.
"If anything is worrying you, it is nothing which can't be sorted, so please, please just come home. You're not in trouble.
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"You have got hundreds of people who care for you and we all just want you to come home safe."
On Tuesday, more than 100 people gave up their Bank Holiday day off to help cops hunt for Lyla.
Local residents in the town gathered to deliver leaflets to homes and to ask homeowners with CCTV and doorbell videos to check footage before it automatically deletes after seven days.
Lyla's worried relatives said they were extremely concerned about her safety because she did not contact any members of her huge extended family over Christmas.
Cops on Tuesday released a CCTV image showing Lyla at Reading train station shortly before 10pm on December 21 after she was last seen around an hour before in Simmons Walk, Basingstoke.
Detective Chief Inspector, Dave Storey, said: “Together with Lyla’s family we are growing increasingly concerned for her welfare.
“We now know that she took a train to Reading and it is possible she is still in that area.
"Therefore we are extending our appeal to the Reading area and are asking anyone who thinks they have seen Lyla since she went missing or anyone who thinks they might know where she is, to call us immediately."
Lyla's dad Nathan thanked the public for their help in searching and knocking on doors.
He said: "We are desperate to find her. This is an urgent plea as it has been several days since she was last seen.
"She has not done this before and it is completely out of character, which rang the alarm bells on first day itself. She has not left the house even for one night before.
“We are here to help police. They have more facilities than we have but feet on the ground can be a big push in the mission to find her.
URGENT APPEAL
"All the people are here to help. They just want to get Lyla back home safe.”
Lyla was last seen wearing a black Puffa jacket and grey jogging bottoms and was carrying a Sports Direct bag for life.
She has been described by police as of mixed race, 5ft 6ins tall and of medium build with long brown hair and brown eyes.
Jeremy Bailey, who is helping organise the search for Lyla urged the volunteers to knock on doors that had cameras and leave the leaflets with the residents.
He said: "We will go through different areas and we won’t leave any stones unturned. We are looking for houses that have Ring doorbells and ask them if it is possible to look at their CCTV, while respecting their privacy.
"These recordings are mostly saved for only seven days. So we want to look at them before they expire."
Heptathlon star Morgan has urged people to contact her with any information.
Morgan, who studied at Wellington College in Crowthorne, Berkshire, said: "My 13-year-old cousin Lyla-Jane Lake has been missing for some nights now.
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"Last seen in Basingstoke at around 9pm on Wednesday night. Police are involved but if anyone has any information please contact me."
Major searches in her hometown of Basingstoke had failed to find any trace of Lyla and police said on Tuesday that they were "extremely concerned" for her welfare.
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