Girl, 13, Missing From Haverhill DCF-Contracted Facility

HAVERHILL (CBS) -- A 13-year-old Lowell girl is missing after she reportedly walked away from a facility contracted by the state's Department of Children and Families, her aunt told WBZ.

Cyndell Martin went missing a week ago from Pathways, a DCF-contracted facility in Haverhill, her aunt, Michelle Gath said. Gath had custody of Martin for 10 years before giving her to DCF in early September to try to get her better psychiatric care.

Gath said Martin has run away from the program several times in the past, but was only gone those times for a period of about 24-48 hours before police saw her and brought her back.

Haverhill Police say they do not believe Martin is any danger and they are tracking her.

The Pathways website describes the facility as "a residential treatment program serving females between the ages of 12 and 18 referred by DCF."

Police say over the last year, they have responded to this facility 234 times. More than 150 visits were for runaways.