A video released by a Florida sheriff’s office shows the moment deputies found a missing 5-year-old girl who wandered into the woods Monday evening.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office Aviation Unit used thermal imaging to find the girl, whose name was not released, according to The Tampa Bay Times.
She was discovered walking through a dense wooded area in Tampa, according to a news release from the sheriff’s office on Tuesday.
Thermal imaging showed her heading toward a body of water. The aviation unit directed deputies to the child, whom authorities say has autism, The Associated Press reported.
“Oh, there she is,” one of the officers says in the video as they come up on a swampy area. The girl, who is standing in a grassy area surrounded by water, throws her hands up when she sees the officers.
“Come here, sweetheart!” an officer calls to her as she wades through the water to get to him. The officer scoops her up and carries her out of the water.
The video then shows the girl sitting in the bed of a truck with the officer.
“You were walking quite a bit, sweetheart!” he says.
The girl was found about half a mile from where she wandered off, the sheriff’s office said.
© 2024 Cox Media Group
Sign Up
