Sanford police locate missing family, say they’re safe

Sanford police officers said Friday they’ve located two missing adults and their child after two months of searching.

Jill Sidebotham and Lydia Hansen Photo courtesy of Ron Sidebotham

Jill Sidebotham, Nicholas Hansen and 2-year-old Lydia Hansen are “unharmed and safe and no evidence of criminal behavior has been observed,” police said in a press release Friday morning. The police department did not offer any additional information on where the group turned up, or why they’ve been out of pocket for this long.

“At the involved parties’ request, no information as to their location or motive for departing the Springvale area will be disclosed,” the statement said.

Police first announced their search for Sidebotham and Hansen in early July, after receiving worried calls from members of Sidebotham’s family. At the time, officers said it was possible that Sidebotham and Hansen were camping near the town of Phillips in Franklin County, where Hansen is from. Sidebotham’s family in Springvale said they were expecting their daughter’s family to return to Sanford on June 30.

Nicholas Hansen Photo courtesy Sanford Police Department

When Sidebotham was first announced missing, she was engaged to another man. Hansen was her ex-boyfriend, her family told the Press Herald. Court records show Hansen previously has been accused of domestic violence assault against Sidebotham, and a protection order that limited contact with her and 2-year-old Lydia expired in June. Sanford police said they verified the family’s safety after speaking with another law enforcement agency whose members were able to meet with the family in person.

The trio’s last confirmed location before the search was in the town of Rumford, Oxford County, on June 29. Using planes, police then reported spotting the group at a Walmart in the same area on July 2. Lt. Matthew Gagne said in interviews earlier this summer it was concerning that the adults had not checked in with Sidebotham’s family.

The search involved digital investigations, canvassing by land and air and a social media information campaign executed by the National Center for Missing and Endangered Children.