Six-year-old Maria Squalli and her sister Rita, then ten, were last seen on April 6, 2018, in Toronto when their father, Jawad ’Jay’ Squalli-Housseini, left with them on what their mother, Elena Danilina, expected to be a short trip. The father told Danilina he was taking the girls to Morocco to visit a gravely ill relative, but two days later messaged that they were in the United Arab Emirates and would not be returned to Canada.

Danilina obtained an Ontario court order granting her sole custody and followed the father to Morocco, pursuing return under the Hague Convention. In November 2018 a Moroccan court ordered the children returned to Canada, but an airport attempt failed when one sister refused to board. A UAE court later issued a custody order in the father’s favour. Canadian and Moroccan courts have ruled for the mother, but Maria and Rita remain in Casablanca. The mother has had only limited, supervised contact and has stayed in Morocco while legal battles continue across jurisdictions.

Anyone who knew the family or has information about Maria or Rita’s whereabouts in Casablanca is asked to come forward.