A heartwarming video captures the moment police safely found a five-year-old autistic girl who had wandered into a deep Florida swamp.
Three Hillsborough County sheriff’s deputies were seen encountering a missing girl in Tampa after being directed by a helicopter search team and using thermal imaging technology to find her.
“Hey!” one of the councilors shouts, arms outstretched, waving back as he stands in the swamp water.
“Come here, sweetheart…let’s get you out of the water,” the deputy tells the girl warmly, and the girl walks ahead to be picked up and carried to safety.
The girl’s mother filed a missing person’s report shortly after 5pm on Monday when she realized that her daughter, who could not be identified due to her age, was not at a neighbor’s house as she had expected.
“Now panic is starting to set in.” Sheriff Chad Chronister told WFLA..
But the girl was found unharmed in the marsh “within an hour,” the sheriff’s office said.
“Every second counts in situations like this, and it is always rewarding to see the quick response of our legislators and positive results like this,” Chronister said.
“Their quick actions saved the scene and turned a potential tragedy into a hopeful reunion.”
Chronister noted that in addition to Florida’s dense vegetation, deputies faced numerous obstacles in getting the girl to safety.
“There are many obstacles that arise when you have to work with people who suffer from autism,” he said. “One is that they are attracted to water. Two is that they often have a hard time communicating.”
Chronister said the department’s air units and some patrol vehicles have a program called “Safety Net,” which allows them to quickly rescue missing children, people with autism and elderly people who may wander. He said it was helpful.
Chronister added that the girl survived the terrifying ordeal with only a few scratches.
