Image copyright
Virginia State Police
Investigators are searching for a 12-year-old Chinese girl who went missing from a Washington DC-area airport while on a group tour of the United States.
"We are still looking for JinJing Ma," Virginia State Police said on Friday, describing the missing girl as in "extreme danger".
JingJing was last seen on Thursday morning leaving the Washington National Airport with an unknown Asian woman.
Officials suspect she could have met her abductors earlier in New York City.
The girl was last seen leaving Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport with a woman who appeared to be in her 40s after receiving her passport from trip leaders and changing into new clothes.
"At some point she separated from the group stating she needed to use the restroom," Washington Airports Authority Police Chief David Huchler told reporters on Friday.
The pair got into a white Infiniti with a New York licence plate that was driven by an unknown man.
A student witnessed JingJing being approached by a woman during a sightseeing tour on the grounds of the World Trade Center in New York City days earlier, police say.
The witness reported seeing a woman - who may be the same woman seen at the airport - give JingJing food.
Chief Huchler described the interaction in New York as "related" to her kidnapping.
"I can't comment specifically but it appears there was some familiarity," he said during a news conference in the airport where she was last seen.
"But I don't know if it was a cordial exchange and that is something we are trying to verify at this time."
The girl was last seen wearing a white shirt, blue jeans and a black jacket.
The FBI and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) are assisting in the manhunt and the US Department of State is attempting to contact the girl's family in China.
Police say they are not aware if she has any family in the US, and are hoping to learn more information from her grandfather in China.
Investigators are also still interviewing other members of the tour, who have since moved on to San Francisco.