WATERVILLE — Two maternal relatives of missing toddler Ayla Reynolds have taken polygraph exams, according to a website dedicated to finding the child.

Ayla’s uncle passed the exam, while Ayla’s grandmother was unable to complete it, according to aylareynolds.com.

In an interview with the Morning Sentinel, Becca Hanson, Ayla’s grandmother, declined to discuss the exam’s specific questions, but said she told the polygraph examiner she had nothing to do with 21-month-old toddler’s disappearance.

The exam was administered Friday by Maine State Police at Cumberland County Jail in Portland, she said, but the polygraph administrator couldn’t conclude the exam because Hanson’s daily medications interfered with the results. Hanson takes “muscle relaxers, pain-killers, depression medication and an antibiotic,” she said.

Hanson said she offered to suspend her medication and retake the exam later, but police didn’t offer a direct response, she said.

“They didn’t say yes, they didn’t say no. They just said they didn’t think it was necessary,” she said.

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Ronnie Reynolds, Ayla’s uncle, took his exam Thursday at the Maine State Police barracks in Gray, and passed it, according to Jeff Hanson — Becca Hanson’s husband and webmaster for aylareynolds.com.

Ronnie Reynolds was unavailable for comment Friday.

Maine Department of Public Safety Spokesman Steve McCausland said he had no information on any new polygraph exams.

He said the work continues on the criminal investigation into Ayla’s disappearance and there are no new developments. The child was reported missing the morning of Dec. 17. Her father told police she was last seen when he put her to bed the night before.

Hanson said the decision to have the family members take the exam was a mutual one between themselves and police.

“They asked and we offered,” she said.

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Ayla’s mother, Trista Reynolds, took a polygraph exam Jan. 18, according to the Associated Press. Reynolds was told by the test administrator that she couldn’t complete the exam because of an undisclosed medical condition.

Reynolds said she would be willing to complete the test after treatment by a doctor, but added that investigators were content with the results of the incomplete test, according to the Associated Press.

Ayla’s father, Justin DiPietro, previously took a polygraph test. McCausland said police have told DiPietro what his polygraph results were, but DiPietro declined to divulge those results to the Morning Sentinel.

Third vigil today

A vigil scheduled for noon today at Castonguay Square will proceed rain or shine, according to co-organizer Bob Vear.

The event is called the Balloons and Bubbles Prayer Vigil. Balloons and refreshments will be provided for the public. Participants are asked to bring their own bubbles.

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Vear and the Rev. Danielle Bartz, a chaplain at MaineGeneral Medical Center’s Thayer Unit, are organizing the event with guidance from LostNMissing, a New Hampshire-based nonprofit group that assists police and families of missing loved ones.

“It is our hope that many will come and show support for both parents,” Cynthia Caron, the organization’s president and founder, said in a news release.

LostNMissing is assisting Ayla’s mother. The Laura Recovery Center of Friendswood, Texas, is assisting Ayla’s father. Both organizations are working jointly to help the parents, who do not live together, to work cooperatively during the search, according to the release.

“We ask the public to be aware of any neighbors who may have a young child that previously did not,” Caron said. “Ayla could be anywhere at this point.”

Ben McCanna — 861-9239

bmccanna@centralmaine.com


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