Ala. Girl, 4, Found Safe Days After Going Missing, Sheriff Thanks Search Efforts amid Coronavirus
The 4-year-old Alabama girl who disappeared earlier this week has been found, safe and sound, authorities said.
Evelyn “Vadie” Sides and her hound dog were reported missing on Wednesday, March 25, at 2:45 p.m., prompting a search process that utilized helicopters, K9 units and hundreds of volunteers, according to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office.
On Friday afternoon, the sheriff’s department posted on Facebook that the little girl was found alive, and her dog Lucy was safe as well.
“No words are capable of describing everyone’s relief,” a spokesperson for the Lee County Sheriff’s Office told WSFA. “We are just … ‘ecstatic’ might be a good word. She is in good shape, she is responsive, she is talking, she’s alert. She is in good physical condition, and the best part is she is with her mama.”
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Authorities previously noted in the investigation that foul play was not suspected.
Before being located, Evelyn was last seen outside her home. Police said she was playing with her caregiver and dog when it was believed she and the animal wandered off.
Given the current coronavirus pandemic, authorities took precautions for the volunteers helping in the search efforts, advising helpers to bring hand sanitizer and writing on Facebook that they will be “practicing COVID-19 protocols” amid the search.
“Our thanks just don’t seem like enough,” said the sheriff’s spokesperson of the volunteers, “but they have our sincere and heartfelt thanks for the sacrifices they made — all the volunteers that came with one goal in mind, and that was finding this little girl and getting her back to her mom and dad, which just happened a few minutes ago.”
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