As a result, they have narrowed the area down to section of the northeastern United States, and now the investigation is in American authorities' hands. They have circulated sanitized photos in U.S. law enforcement circles that specialize in missing children.
If that leads nowhere, Gillespie says, the investigators must turn to the last resort: showing the victim's face to the public.
"I know somebody out there knows her," he says.
If they decide to release her photo, they must be ready to rescue her immediately, to get her into the care of an experienced counselor and to deal with the emotional fallout affecting her family and community.
"The first thought has to be care for the victim. It can't be an afterthought," Gillespie says. "Physically rescuing her is one thing. Rescuing her emotionally could take years."
As Gillespie speaks, a detective steps into the office to announce that police on the West Coast think they have found the girl Bulmer has been seeking for three years. A swell of hope moves across the room, then ebbs.
"We've been here so many times before," Gillespie says. "We're not going to get excited until they make an arrest." A day later, they will learn that it was a false lead.
But in the meantime, Bulmer allows himself to lightly linger on the possibility that the girl would finally be safe.
"If they find her, I'd like to go down and meet her," he says, one hand placed protectively, unconsciously, on his computer screen. "I would say, 'I am sorry we didn't find you sooner.' "
