Police are searching for Ayla Madsen, a missing 15-year-old girl who was last seen at the Miss Brainerd Lakes Pageant in Minnesota. Madsen disappeared after the event was held on Saturday night.
An online photo of Ayla Madsen showed her with blonde hair and a slender build. Nothing official in regards to what she was wearing when last seen or a physical description of the girl has been released by the police yet. KTSP 5 reports that the Brainerd Police Department is asking for the public’s help in the search for the teen girl who hasn’t been seen since competing in the pageant.
Brainerd Dispatch Police seek whereabouts of missing girl Brainerd Dispatch Ayla Madsen, 15,… https://t.co/j1REPHUsJj #Brainerd #Minnesota
— Brainerd Minnesota (@BrainerdMinnes) June 30, 2016
Ayla was reported missing on June 25 after competing in the Miss Brainerd Lakes Pageant at Tornstrom Auditorium, located at 804 Oak St. in Brainerd.
According to Brainerd Dispatch , Brainerd Police Investigator Craig Katzenberger said Ayla is originally from the Brainerd area, but she lives out of state. She only returned to Brainerd to compete in the pageant. Katzenberger reveals that law enforcement has no reason to believe foul play is involved in the girl’s disappearance.
“I’m sure she is most likely with some friends or family in the area,” Katzenberger said. “Maybe if there are some people who actually do know where she is at right now, they might think twice about hiding her and not telling us where she is at.”
Information about the missing Brainerd girl is currently scarce. It appears that authorities have reason to believe Ayla Madsen isn’t in any serious danger, but no one has heard from her in five days.
According to a separate report by the Dispatch , the Miss Brainerd Lakes Pageant marked a historic year in terms of the number of contestants in the annual competition. Twenty-three contestants were on the roster to battle for six titles. They were Miss Jr. Teen Brainerd, Miss Jr. Teen Baxter, Miss Teen Brainerd, Miss Teen Baxter, Miss Brainerd, and Miss Baxter.
Contestants were required to give individual interviews, answer an on-stage question, and were evaluated for their modeling of an evening gown and swimsuit.
A silent auction was held at the event as a fundraiser for the pageant, in addition to a bake sale to benefit the “No Kid Hungry” organization, the national cause of Miss United States National Pageants, Inc. Tickets were $15 for general seating at Tornstrom Auditorium, where doors opened at 6:30 p.m. and the pageant kicked off at 7:00 p.m.
Four hundred people attended the pageant to spectate the event. The missing girl was listed in the Teen Division as “Ayla Madsen, 15, daughter of the late Curtis Madsen, sponsored by Greenheck Auto Glass.”
Brainerd and Baxter Crown Six New Queens at the 2016 Miss Brainerd/Baxter United States Pageant https://t.co/L1ICjtcqOh
— Lakeland News (@LakelandNewsPBS) June 28, 2016
Several teenagers in the news that have been reported missing are either eventually found or return home safely on their own.
In 2014, another Brainerd teen, Brandie Joel, was reported as missing, but she returned home safely after five days. Bring Me The News reported that the girl went missing after she left to spend the night with a friend on September 27, 2014. She never returned the next day, and it was discovered she went to another friend’s house. A major search effort was underway to find Joel, who alarmed her parents when she didn’t post any new photos or comments to her social media account.
It’s unclear where Ayla Madsen might be or if the missing girl is with someone she knows.
Anyone with information is asked to call 218-829-2805.
[Image via Shutterstock]
