JEDDAH, 27 October 2006 — DNA tests on samples of blood taken from two families proved that the girl who was found at a wedding hall in Zulfi recently was not Ebtihal, the three-year-old Al-Motairi girl, who has been missing for the past seven months.

“We conducted DNA tests on the father and mother of Ebtihal as well as the members of the family with which the girl was found. The results proved that the girl was not Ebtihal and the file is closed,” an official source at Zulfi governorate told Arab News.

Abdul Aziz, a relative of Ebtihal, confirmed the police report, saying that DNA tests proved that the girl was not Ebtihal. “We have accepted the report... and we pray that Allah will help us to find Ebtihal very soon,” he said expressing disappointment.

Ebtihal’s father Sultan Marzouk Al-Motairi and her mother arrived in Zulfi along with some other members of the family after a relative informed them that she had found a girl similar to Ebtihal at the wedding hall on Tuesday.

“My wife, my children and I were only 50 percent sure that the girl was Ebtihal because considerable changes had taken place in her features during the past seven months in terms of color, height and hairstyle,” Al-Motairi said.

Al-Motairi and his family members told authorities that the girl belonged to them. But the other family, with whom she was found, insisted that the girl was theirs. This forced authorities to conduct the DNA test to ensure the girl’s identity and settle the dispute.

“We conducted the DNA test to settle the conflict,” said Zaid Al-Hussein, administrative head of Zulfi. A woman relative of the Al-Motairi family informed them about discovering the girl after she saw her with a woman with dark complexion. The “black woman” was part of the band of performers at the wedding. Ebtihal’s relative became more suspicious when the “black woman” was not able to give the name of the girl. The “black woman” said the girl belonged to her sister, who had come from Unaizah along with her husband.

Fourteen-year-old Abdullah, brother of Ebtihal, told Majmaa police that there were similarities between the girl and his sister but would not confirm she was Ebtihal. An informed source said he had doubts whether the girl was Ebtihal as she addressed as “baba” (father) the husband of the woman who is the sister of the black woman.

Ebtihal’s disappearance on April 5 was the talk of the town as Riyadh Governor Prince Salman and other top authorities showed interest in finding the girl. Rewards for finding the girl offered by Al-Motairi and philanthropists reached SR1.6 million in addition to three pieces of land.

Ebtihal went missing after leaving home in Majmaa, 200 km north of Riyadh, in order to visit her grandmother along with her father and sisters. Since then the family has been immersed in deep sorrow and disappointment.

Many people and officials expressed their sympathy to the family and pledged support to find the girl. While efforts to find the girl have been mounting, some philanthropists have raised SR210,000 for anyone who finds the child.