Southfield police are asking for the public's help with identifying a man they say took photos of a 9-year-old girl while she was using a public restroom at a Michaels store.

The incident occurred on Oct. 22 at the Michaels location on Telegraph Road near 12 Mile Road. Police have identified a person of interest captured on surveillance video and are seeking information from the community.

Watch Brett Kast's and Ryan Marshall's video reports below: Southfield police seek help identifying man who allegedly photographed child in store bathroom Southfield police seek help identifying man who allegedly photographed child in store bathroom

The mother, who requested she not be identified due to the sensitive nature of the case, said she and her daughter were using the two-stall restroom when they heard the door open.

"We heard the (bathroom) door open, we were still talking and I noticed that no one walked past or knocked to see if one of the stalls were free, and I just got an eerie feeling," the mother said. "I looked up, I didn't see anything, but my daughter, she's right in the stall next to me and it was like as soon as I felt it, she said it, she said 'mommy camera, camera!'"

Watch surveillance video of the man police are looking for below: Video shows man wanted for allegedly photographing child in store bathroom in Southfield

The girl told her mother she saw a man's hand hanging over the top of the stall, taking photos with an iPhone. She described the suspect as a white male and she said he had a black sleeve. The mother also noticed white shoes beneath the stall.

Southfield Police Chief Elvin Barren said police were able to identify one person matching that description on surveillance footage, which shows the man entering the store around 7:36 p.m. and leaving just five minutes later without purchasing anything.

"We captured him coming in the store, key images and we also captured him leaving the store in a hurry that's a key factor in this. Hadn't bought anything in the store. He came in empty handed, left empty handed," Barren said.

The suspect was wearing a black shirt under his white sweatshirt, according to police.

I want to commend this 9-year-old and her mother, mom, for taking quick action getting the information, calling 911, getting the store employees involved," Barren said. "We need help, and I'm very confident our community is going to step up and lead us to this person of interest, so we can get justice for this family.

The mother expressed gratitude to both the police and employees at Michaels.

They (employees) were very hands on. They weren't trying to hide anything. They were very active in trying to find this individual as well and making sure we were safe and OK as well," the mother said. "I just really hope this guy is brought to justice and no other kid falls victim to this kind of situation, invasion of privacy."

The 9-year-old girl had a message for the suspect: "I would say to him to stop taking pictures of anyone else using the restroom, if he had taken pictures of other women and little girls."

Anyone who can identify the person of interest is asked to contact Southfield police or report anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-SPEAK-UP.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

One of Michigan's oldest child welfare organizations is making a major change that will impact nearly a dozen girls and more than 100 employees.

Vista Maria in Dearborn Heights announced this week it is ending its state contract for residential treatment, meaning 11 girls currently in their care will need to be relocated and roughly 150 staff members will be laid off.

Watch Brett Kast's and Brittany Toolis' video reports below: Vista Maria ends residential treatment program after nearly 50 years Vista Maria ends residential treatment program after nearly 50 years

The organization, which began its work in Michigan in 1883, opened its residential treatment programs in 1976. After nearly 50 years of operation, CEO Kathy Regan says they're bringing it to an end.

"The model that we define as being Vista Maria no longer meets the realities of the kids that we care for as well as the regulatory structures we really have to operate in, so we deemed it best to exit," Regan said.

Vista Maria sent a letter to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services this week ending their state contract to provide residential treatment for girls ages 11 to 18. Many of the girls in their care have experienced abuse, neglect or trauma and are referred by the courts.

The program has significantly downsized over the years. Regan says Vista Maria once housed 150 girls but today, that number is only 11 less than 5% of their overall work.

"We're in a mental health crisis as it is, and so the structures that surround that haven't really moved enough for us to safely handle the kids we do have," Regan said.

Vista Maria operates multiple programs beyond residential treatment.

"We do foster care, juvenile justice, independent living, we are a multi-service agency," Regan said.

Over the last year, the residential program faced scrutiny after a number of police and runaway calls and complaints about the program. During a tour of the facility, some girls in the program shared their experiences to 7 News Detroit anchor Carolyn Clifford.

"The staff is a lot more caring than my other placements. They treated us like criminals, we were locked out of our rooms... we couldn't do anything," said Jaedyn Main, a Vista Maria resident.

When asked about public criticism, resident Dynisti Porter said, "What is true is that Vista Maria is a place to help and heal the individuals."

Watch Carolyn Clifford's report from inside Vista Maria below: Going inside Vista Maria to see changes made in the wake of recent incidents

MDHHS will relocate the 11 girls by mid-December. Vista Maria is not alone in this decision, according to Regan.

"We're not the first agency to close their residential program. We're probably in a line of 15," Regan said. "We've got a system that's overworked, and we really have to come to bear with some changes that need to occur."

Vista Maria plans to eventually repurpose the spaces once used for residential treatment.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.