Search for Florida girl extends to Bahamas

Rilya Wilson before her disappearance, left, and in a retouched photograph of what she might look like today.

MIAMI, Florida (CNN) -- Florida law enforcement authorities have asked Bahamas police for help in the search for missing 5-year-old Rilya Wilson, a spokesman for the U.S. Embassy in Nassau said Wednesday.

"The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is in touch with the Royal Bahamian Police about certain leads," said embassy spokesman Brian Bachman.

Bachman said he did not know the specifics but said Bahamian Police had been asked to investigate the possibility that Rilya Wilson might be in the Bahamas.

According to Bachman, the U.S. Embassy is also calling on newspapers to feature photos of Rilya in the hopes that someone there may have seen the girl whose last documented visit with a caseworker was in January 2001.

Rilya was placed in the legal custody of Pamela Graham in 1999 after parental rights were terminated for the girl's parents.

MORE STORIES Report: Girl's caregiver served prison time    EXTRA INFORMATION The many faces of Geralyn Graham  Gallery: Rilya, the forgotten child    RESOURCES • Florida Department of Law Enforcement offers reward  • Transcript: CNN's Susan Candiotti interviews Geralyn Graham

Geralyn Graham, the sister of Rilya's caretaker, said the girl was taken from them by a person who claimed to be a Florida Department of Children and Families Services caseworker. The DCFS said it has no record of Rilya being removed from Pamela Graham's care.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement asked Bahamian police to investigate whether Geralyn Graham has any relatives in the Bahamas and to look into reports that she tried to pass herself off as the daughter of a Bahamian prime minister, Bachman said.

In a 1982 arrest form for grand theft, Geralyn Graham used an alias and gave her birthplace as the Bahamas. Geralyn Graham told CNN she was born in Mississippi.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is offering a $25,000 reward for information leading to the Rilya's recovery.