DNA from 'Maria' no match in Interpol's database of missing children

ATHENS, Greece, Oct. 23 (UPI) -- The DNA from a girl found living in a Gypsy camp in Greece didn't find a match in an international database of missing children, Greek officials said.

The non-match only intensified efforts to identify the blond-haired girl dubbed "Maria" who was found by Greek police last week during a nationwide crackdown on Gypsies, or Roma, ABC News reported Tuesday.

The initial suggestion about the findings by Interpol is the girl isn't one of the hundreds of children reported missing every year in its database, officials said. The Interpol database doesn't include reports of missing U.S. children.

Maria, believed to be 5 to 6 years old based on a dental exam, is in the care of The Smile of The Child charity and is at an undisclosed Greek hospital, officials said.

"The kid is happy, plays with her dolls but doesn't seem to like the food that they give her," Costas Giannopoulos, the charity's director told ABC News.

A child psychologist and a Roma translator will interview the girl soon after a court order is issued, Giannopoulos said.

Authorities said they hope genetic testing will reveal the girl's exact age and ethnicity.

Maria was found living with a Gypsy couple, who first claimed to be her biological parents but later claimed they adopted her "in a non-legal way" from a Bulgarian Gypsy, attorney Marietta Palavrasa said. They face charges of kidnapping a minor and falsifying documents.

A police source told ABC News the girl was one of four children -- including two other girls and a boy -- found with the couple. The police source said the couple had registered 14 children to receive welfare benefits, but it was unclear whether the other children existed.

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DNA from 'Maria' no match in Interpol's database of missing children