Yes, I look it over again, and I suspect that the man is her father, but that the courts gave custody to the mother. The child probably prefers being with her father and was hiding when the police came by.
We’ll see when the facts come out, but that’s my suspicion. The ages are about right. He would have been about 25 or 26 when she was born.
Generally, a kid that age can choose which parent they wish to live with. There is more to this story.