Missing Maine Mom and Toddler Last Seen With Ex-Boyfriend Who Also Assaulted Her Current Partner

The missing Maine mom and toddler, who were expected back home from a camping trip on June 30, were last seen in a Walmart CCTV camera in Mexico, Maine, with her ex-boyfriend on July 2.

Police confirmed the sightings of Jill Sidebotham, 28, her daughter Lydia, and Nicholas Hansen, 38, who is the father of her kid. Workers at the Walmart store said they did not notice anything distressing from the mother and toddler amid reports that Hansen had a violent encounter with Sidebotham's current partner, Corey Alexander.

According to The Sun, 911 dispatched the police to Sidebotham's home in April 2021 after an altercation between Hansen and Alexander. Police have public records of the said incident, which never went to court due to the backlog of cases in the pandemic.

Allegedly, Hansen came for Alexander with a knife and was charged with aggravated assault. Alexander confirmed the incident when he was interviewed by the detectives trying to trace the missing Maine mom, her toddler, and Hansen.

Police can't treat a missing person's case as a kidnapping yet

However, Sanford Police Lt. Matthew Gagne informed Fox News that they do not have evidence to treat this case as a kidnapping or abduction. They released photos from the CCTV camera to gather more witnesses who may have seen the trio and shed more light on what happened. The local tip line is 207-324-9170.

The images show Sidebotham in a black shirt and light-colored shorts as she follows Hansen to the store. Hansen, who has a bald patch and a short beard, was wearing a red shirt with cutoff sleeves. Their daughter was in a red summer dress.

Gagne also said that his team is looking for a silver 2005 Volkswagen Jetta with the license plate 1563VJ, but no one has any leads to the vehicle, and the police have no photos of the car.

Sidebotham's family was aware that Hansen asked her to go on a camping trip with their daughter, and they advised against it. Alexander, however, said that Sidebotham never mentioned the camping trip to him.

"She was always upfront with me about everything," Alexander said. "We never hid anything from each other."

Police to use aircraft to search for the trio

The authorities plan to tap the services of a fixed-wing aircraft operator to search the camping sites between the vast spaces of Rangeley and Mexico. It is believed that the trio had been camping out near Franklin County, where Hansen lives, per the Portland Press Herald.

The ground search for the family could not cover other areas, given the size of the open spaces. The camping grounds are also in remote locations without good cell phone services. For now, the police have no reason to believe that Sidebotham and her daughter are in danger.

Meanwhile, Ron Sidebotham, the father of Jill, said that it was unlike his daughter to disappear. Ron and his wife Cottie are looking after Jill's eldest, a 10-year-old boy, who was waiting for his mother's return so they could celebrate the 4th of July together.

The Sidebotham family said they don't know what to do next, but they are grateful for the overwhelming support from the community and the police in helping search for the missing people.