PORTLAND, Maine — Trista Reynolds has had a lot of hard days since the disappearance of her daughter, Ayla Reynolds, but Wednesday, the missing toddler’s second birthday, was easily the worst so far.
“Today was the first day in three months that I didn’t think I’d be able to pull myself out of bed,” said Reynolds while gathering a car seat, a pacifier and a stroller for her son Raymond as they prepared to depart for a vigil for Ayla in Portland’s Monument Square. “Then I looked at this little man walking around and I knew why I had to get out of bed.”
The scene at the Reynolds household a couple of hours before the vigil was intense and emotional. Family members and supporters pinned buttons with the blond-haired girl’s picture on them to each other and exchanged ribbons and bracelets.
Jeff Hanson, Ayla’s step-grandfather, said the prospect of going out into public for the vigil weighed heavily on the family.
“In a way we wish we’d never organized this, but it’s for Ayla,” he said. “We’ll do whatever it takes to bring her home.”
Ten-year-old Chelsea Harmon, Ayla’s cousin, bought Ayla a purple elephant with $10 of her own money, and she yearned to put it in the little girl’s hands.
“Purple, that’s her favorite color,” said Harmon, holding Ayla’s brother Raymond. “We would have had some fun together today. I really miss her.”
On the way to Monument Square, Trista rode with Betsy LaFond, a family friend who is so close that Trista calls her Aunt Betsy. Driving up Forest Avenue, LaFond stopped her vehicle and all the traffic behind it when she saw another car with “Bring Ayla home!” written on the rear window.
“Trista told me to stop,” said LaFond later at the vigil. “We were screaming, ‘This is Ayla’s mom!’ We didn’t know them at all.”
People who the Reynolds family don’t know at all were in ample supply at the vigil, where more than 100 people turned out to celebrate the girl’s birthday. With balloons, confetti, heaps of presents and a gigantic cake with Ayla’s picture on it, it was a scene fit for a princess. Except the blond-haired, blue-eyed princess wasn’t there and hasn’t been seen since she was reported missing on Dec. 17 of last year.
“I’ve been crying all day,” said Reynolds. “I just keep thinking, is Ayla having a good day today? Is she enjoying her birthday? Is she OK?”
At the vigil, throngs of people crowded around Reynolds, whose pockets would be overflowing if she had a dollar for every hug she gave and received. Family and supporters sold T-shirts, bracelets and buttons, the proceeds of which will be used to make more T-shirts, bracelets and buttons.
Ayla’s situation looks grim — investigators have ruled out the possibility that she was abducted and have said that they found her blood in her father’s home, which is the last place she was known to be irrefutably alive — but most of the people close to her are holding out hope for her safe return.
Cynthia Caron, president of a New Hampshire-based organization called LostNMissing, said that hope is not as desperate as it may seem, even considering that police believe foul play was involved in Ayla’s disappearance.
“One thing as president and founder of LostNMissing that I assure all of you, we quit guessing things,” said Caron. “We’ve had many, many times with a missing loved one where everything appeared grim where it was almost certain that the person was not going to be found safely, and they were.”
Among the vigil’s attendees was Lorraine Ela of South Portland, the mother of 22-year-old Megan Waterman, who was missing until her body was found in January 2011 in Long Island, N.Y.
“I just wish Ayla was home,” said Ela. “I know exactly what Trista is going through.”
A woman who didn’t want to identify herself said she drove two hours to attend the vigil and was thinking of her own children for most of the trip.
“There’s a little girl missing who deserves justice and there’s her mother right here,” she said. “Ayla is close to everybody in Maine’s hearts.”
Ron Reynolds, Ayla’s maternal grandfather, said he is among those who are still clinging to hope.
“Every day is very, very hard,” he said. “I’m hoping this story has a happy ending. You’ve got to stay positive every day. You’ve got to keep going. You can’t give up.”
Am I the only one who feels that whenever I see her blabbing on tv that she just doesn’t look as sad or devastated as I would be if it were my daughter? The more “face time” she gets, the more I feel that way. I am sickened by the whole thing, and my heart breaks for that beautiful little girl.
No, you’re not the only one. There are other people who think that, too. But there are many many more of us who do not think that and have empathy for Trista. She is doing this to keep Ayla’s story in the news and in people heads!
You can’t judge people all the time by how they deal with pain, thats like saying because I don’t eat cooked cabbage that makes me guilty of running red lights. You don’t know if she’s laying on the floor at home alone falling apart. She also has a baby who is completely affected by her emotions. It is not good for him if she can’t pull herself together. This isn’t about one child, it’s also about a baby brother who needs smiles and happiness in his little life to grow up normal, it’s not good for him to be kept under depression.
Do you think her blubbering uncontrolled incomprehensively in public is useful?
Trista keep up the good work and where can I purchase a bracelet?
I feel the same way. Especially the clip (early on) where she is standing near the x and smiling at whatever. Maybe a nice memory….but a little to early back then to have heartfelt memories. I would be lunging at his face.
You haven’t walked in her shoes yet … until you do ,only than will you know how you would react
well should she just shut up and forget it? steve you are wrong she is trying to hold it together. she is just a kid herself. what a rough way to grow up fast.
I’ve been saying latley waterboard the father (yes it IS legal) & you will get ALL the info you want as we all know he knows what happened to her… how many comptent parents DO NOT check on a 20 mth. old toddler AT LEAST 3-4 times before turning in for the night. & the mother her dacing in the streets last night… she’s a REAL piece of work
You claimed this before (that it is legal to torture a confession out of a suspect. Please provide some proof of what you are saying. It is ridiculous in the extreme to make this claim (over and over) because it is NOT legal to “water-board a confession out of a suspect here in the USA…..yet.
leave trista alone. no matter what you or anyone may think of her is irelivent.(sorry if thats not spelled corectly). she is not involved in Aylas dissaperance . This is about finding her and for that we need to ask justin.
step in and take Trista’s other baby?? I hope you dont mean that I hope you mean to take Justins girlfriends and his sisters child away and maybe they will open their eyes and talk to the police. I dont think that taking Tristas other baby would help a thing except maybe send her back in to drugs/alcohol. I wonder who will agree with you I certainly dont
Why does the BDN feel the need to consistently describe the girl as “blond-haired, blue-eyed’? When was the last time they described anyone as ‘brown-haired, brown-eyed’? One senses that there is an unspoken understanding that blond-haired, blue-eyed girls are particularly valuable children and so their presumed deaths are particularly tragic.
And that, of course, is not true. The BDN style manual ought to disallow such pandering to prejudice.
RK, I’m no expert but my guess is because Ayla has blond hair and blue eyes?
?
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Funny I can’t find a thing about that. If you have something why don’t you share it?
it was not Ayla
Your comments show your ignorance.
what are ya sally a family member that knows where ayla is and canlt handle the truth
Get your fact right before you post. Totally different kid, mom & dad.
That childs name was AVA not Ayla. I thought that too
thats a different child. that childs name is AVA. not Ayla.
I was just informed and got on here as quickly as possible. I was told by someone who apparently only saw the end of the story on Ava; I got on here as fast as I could to try to correct [by far] the worst thing I have ever posted. I feel horrible about this, I was just so shocked (and relieved) by the news that I wanted to share with others as soon as possible. I let the person know who told me so that they would not continue to tell the same thing to others. Again, my sincerest apologies to everyone, especially the family.
The baby’s name on Nancy Grace was “AVA” ,not Ayla…..
This beautiful little girl needs to be found ! Regardless of our feelings about her mother. Someone knows a hell of alot more then they’re saying. I really like the idea of waterboarding the father or maybe all of the people there that nite.
Your comments show your ignorance.what is wrong with you people ? all of your B.S. about the Mother of this little Sun Shine is Very Wrong… she was not in the Mothers care when she went Missing
Yeah, The State is so great at parenting that this would be helpful? I think you might ask Rickey Letourneau or Logan Marr about that path… Oops, that’s right you can’t they both died while in State custody.
….
Actually a current employee at the time. So was Debra Wolfendon Rickey’s foster mom. She killed the four-year-old for peeing on the floor.
Should have stayed off the sauce.
was you there ? I don’t think you was.What makes you so Perfect ????
“Were you” not “was you” and “you were” not “you was.”
What is the problem with some of you folks. one wants to water-board the suspects into a confession, and another wants to lock up everyone until someone talks. Another posted suggests the State take the remaining children, but that poster doesn’t say from whom.
Suspects are INNOCENT untill they are proven guilty in a court. This hasn’t happened. Stripping away freedom and liberty from innocent people will not be helpful to our society. The society as a whole is more important than one case.
that is just what i was trying to say,Thanks
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Agreed. It’s one thing to hold an opinion that someone may be guilty, but it’s entirely different to act on that and condemn someone for what amounts to jack schitt in evidence. If some of these commenters had the power they would actually be waterboarding these poor people!
Right now, all we have to go on is that these parents lost their little girl. How about some compassion for them until we know more?
debbyk, Why beacuse it worked out so great last time ? Unbelievable.
i hope alya has been placed on the amber alert. she has not been found and until that time she should be on the alert.
I do not believe she is, but its easy to find out, check the website
Just went to look and this is what i got
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Your search – reynolds – did not match any documents.
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amber alerts are only issued when there is a description of a vehichle that may have been involved in an abduction
This story reminds me of the pain those involved in this situation that were not involved in the abduction must be going through. I found some of it emotionally hard to read. Many prayers to the family.
Time for dadda Justin to come forward and tell the police where she is, he surely is lying
well i didnt see her dancing in the street i read this article thank you and besides they were celebrating her daughters birthday I agree with sally that your comment does show your ignorance. Thats right your considered a guilty person dancing at something in remembrance of your daughter I forgot.
Wow…I am so sorry that I just took 15 minutes out of my life to read these disgusting, self-centered, & uneducated comments. Not all of them I might add, but 80% of them anyway! Do you think the intent of the BDN was to give all the coffee drinking, cigarette smoking, stay-at-home internet junkies the tools to argue & fight with one another behind a computer!? Quite entertaining I might add…
Wow…I thought I would sign up to try and contribute with my comments on some articles, but after reading these I guess this will be my one and only post! I think some of you may need to revisit the BDN guidelines for posting comments…it was not their intent to provide stay-at-home, coffee drinking, cigarette smoking internet junkies with the tools to fight & argue with others behind a computer monitor. Thank you for wasting my time, I won’t be foolish enough to try it again.
I apologize to the family and anyone who may have read my earlier post; I was just informed that is was Ava who was found, not Ayla. I have let the person know who told me as to avoid any further misinformation. I hope I did not cause too much hurt, again my deepest apologies.
The only ignorant person or persons on here are the one who canlt handle the truth about the whole reynold issue the parent or parents with the past history on both are guilty until ayla returns then the can be judge perfessionally weather they are innocent including all member of both families please stop wasting tax payers money in be streight forward on where your daughter is …..
just went back down thou these comment that were posted that were critzied arethe one with common sense stop the bs around and lets move on , lapage is worried a bout the budget will let s see all the money so far thats been spent trying to find ayla who should of been found by now , but unfortunllty the parents are not coroporating with the police ..only the daddy ? mommy know for real where ayla is….