She Was So Beloved
Charlee was living with her grandmother Beth in Bullitt County, Kentucky. She was playing outside with her dog Penny, and Beth was in the house. Every so often she would check on her beloved granddaughter Charlee outside, but in one of those times, she froze in panic as she realized that Charlee was gone.
She Was So Beloved
She Went Missing
When Beth realized that Charlee was nowhere to be found, she ran over to the neighbors to ask if they had seen her. When they told her they had not, she grew even more panicked, worry about the child’s safety. Her thoughts raced to the worst case scenarios, and she was shaking when she imagined all the horrible things that might be happening. She recruited the neighborhood to help her search for Charlee.
She Went Missing
Searching For Hours
As the entire neighborhood helped look for Charlee, with every passing moment that she was missing, everyone grew more anxious. As nighttime began to descend and the sunlight was growing more scarce, a real fear was setting in. Charlee’s mother Natalie Quick and her great-grandmother Lisa Chesher were in a total panic, searching frantically for the little girl. Even as nighttime fell upon them, they did not give up the search.
Searching For Hours
It Dragged On
Two days passed, and still they did not give up on finding Charlee. Her family cooperated with the sheriff’s office. They began searching the woods near Beth’s home, as they believed she may have wandered into there. More and more people became involved in the search. Scotty McGaha of the Bullitt County Sheriff’s office told Insider that they had “interviewed several family members…during the search, along with the FBI.”
It Dragged On
Heading Into The Woods
Her family was having the most difficulty processing the thought that their little girl was somewhere out there on her own. The authorities went into the woods to look for her but did not allow anyone else to go as it may become a dangerous situation for others. Firefighters, police, and the sheriff all went into the woods on multiple occasions, and each time they grew more worried about the state of the missing child. They had already feared the worst.
Heading Into The Woods
They Found Her
The search continued on, with search crews and the FBI working hard along the rough terrain that included rocks and snakes. They were about to get ready to go for another round of searching in the woods when one of the neighbors brought the best news possible: Charlee had been found. The man who found her, Wayne Brown, said that he was sitting on his sofa when he noticed a little blonde girl wandering into his backyard.
They Found Her
Was It Her?
He described the situation to the police, saying: “I seen the dirt all over her, and she had leaves in her hair, and I opened the door, and I said ‘Are you Charlee?’ And she handed me this bottle. And I said ‘Are you Charlee?’ She didn’t answer me. She wouldn’t say anything.” Not only that, Brown revealed that Charlee was not alone when he spotted her.
Was It Her?
Missing Along With Her
With all of the chaos that had been caused due to Charlee’s disappearance, the family had not thought about the fact that she was not the only one missing. In fact, they did not even think about it until Charlee was found. This made them realize who else had disappeared along with her, and it was a huge relief.
Missing Along With Her
Penny Was There
Missing right along Charlee was their dog Penny, who had stuck by the little girl for the entire 36 hours that they were both missing. The family was so relieved that Charlee was not entirely by herself the whole time and that she had a familiar face with her while she was missing.
Penny Was There
Staying Loyal
As news began to circulate that Charlee was found, they also heard about what Penny had done. The whole community was impressed by Penny’s fierce loyalty. While they were all so worried about the little girl’s safety, they didn’t imagine that she would find a safe way home after being missing for so long. They felt so grateful that Penny was there to help protect her.
Staying Loyal
A True Hero
Charlee’s grandmother Beth was overjoyed, saying: “Whenever they told me that they had found Charlee, I was just outside of myself. I was just so happy. When my dog didn’t come home, and my baby wasn’t home, she was not going to leave that baby until she got here. This is our hero right here.” They felt so grateful that Penny stayed by her side, and so grateful to Mr. Brown who had found them both.
A True Hero
So Happy
Charlee’s grandmother was understandably out of her wits while the girl was missing, and she felt even worse when nearly 100 people who were looking for her couldn’t find her. Once Charlee was located, she couldn’t fully express her level of relief. Beth said: “I can’t even explain how happy that I am that this baby is home because I love her more than anything in this world.” Many believed that she was gone forever, so when she was found, it was a relief for the entire community.
So Happy
An Incredible Story
Charlee’s mother Natalie shared how she was feeling while her baby was missing, saying: n she went missing is not something that any family would ever dream of. “She was out there all night last night. I won’t stop until she’s found. I don’t care if the dogs have searched and no scent. I don’t care. I’ll look until she comes back or something.” Luckily, the story had a happy ending thanks to a whole community of kind people and one brave dog.
An Incredible Story
Finding Her Way Home
Once she was found, Charlee was immediately taken to the Norton Children’s Hospital in Louisville, Kentucky. Just as the sheriff had announced, it was determined that she had “no obvious serious injuries,” but she was severely dehydrated and was found with many tick bites on her skin. She was quiet the whole time, but was clutching a stuffed animal she was given. There was still one mystery that had yet to be solved, however…
Finding Her Way Home
He Didn’t Give Up
Even though Charlee was found safe, there were still many questions up in the air. Her neighbor, Mr. Brown, offered the little girl some water and immediately called 911 when he spotted her. While this particular search had come to an end, this situation hit home for him. Brown had spent three hours looking for the little girl, and when he spotted her the next day, he said: “I’m convinced that God led her to our porch.”
He Didn’t Give Up
Why It Was So Important To Him
He was shocked, saying: “They’ve been everywhere. They’ve been all over this place, and how did they not find this child, and she just shows up where the search has been. How does that happen?” The reason this was so impactful for him was the fact that Brown’s brother had gone missing when he was just three years old, but his story didn’t have a happy ending. He shared: “My little brother went missing. He’d wandered away from the home and he had climbed three fences. They found him miles away from the house. It was actually my uncle that found him, and he was dead.”
Why It Was So Important To Him
It Was Hard On Them
Even though they did not give up the search, the community shared that it was still no easy feat. Sheriff Tinnel said: “It was emotional for me. We didn’t give up hope, but hope was going down for me.” Charlee’s mother also shared how difficult this was on her, saying that it was one of the hardest things she’s ever gone through. Interestingly, the Bullitt County Sheriff said that he did not think Charlee was alone in the woods the whole time. Her great-grandmother Lisa had her own theory on what happened…
It Was Hard On Them
Her Family’s Ordeal
Lisa said: “It has been the most horrific thing my whole family has ever been through. This whole scenario of them taking her and hiding her, and then the FBI shows up, and then they drop her off in the woods … that’s ridiculous…To see how my daughter and granddaughter are being painted by Sheriff Tinnell is not fair.” What was going on?
Her Family’s Ordeal
Using Dogs To Help
Of course, everyone was thrilled that Charlee was found and she was safe, but still, the Bullitt County Sheriff’s office felt that there were more answers that needed to be found. Sheriff Donnie Tinnel showed up at their home to do a foot search, hoping to find tracks by using search dogs. They kept searching for clues to understand what had exactly happened to Charlee.
Using Dogs To Help
Less Than Ideal Circumstances
Of course, everyone was very happy that Charlee was no longer missing, with Sheriff Tinnel saying: “I’m just so happy she’s safe and alive. We’re blessed she’s healthy.” However, while she was still wearing the Disney pajama top that her grandmother had reported she was wearing while she had gone missing, the pajama pants were nowhere to be found, and she was not wearing a diaper. This sparked a lot of questions.
Less Than Ideal Circumstances
Any Suspects?
Sheriff Tinnel was convinced that Charlee had not disappeared on her own and that perhaps even somebody close to her was responsible for her going missing. He also thought it was suspect that she was living with her grandparents. He explained his theory: “The little girl had scratches on her feet, dirty feet, and ticks on her. She was in those woods for some period of time. It didn’t indicate to me she was in there for 36 hours. My suspicion is there’s a custody issue between mother and grandmother. I suspect maybe there’s something going on that we don’t know about yet.”
Any Suspects?
They Denied The Accusations
Charlee’s great-grandmother responded to the accusations by saying: “There’s not a custody battle. My granddaughter goes there every day with her baby and takes care of her.” She also shared her own theory as to what had happened: “She opened the door. She had just learned how to do the deadbolt the day before.” Still, one key details was missing from the story.
They Denied The Accusations
Battling Addiction
Well before Charlee had gone missing, Charlee’s grandmother Beth and her mother Natalie were both struggling with addiction. Her grandmother had even admitted that she had experienced a relapse recently. During the search, Beth told the Sheriff that she was on methamphetamines. Lisa said: “She didn’t have to do that, but she did.” However, this random confession drew attention to the surrounding circumstances around Charlee’s disappearance.
Battling Addiction
Something Didn’t Make Sense
According to law enforcement officials, Penny came home and then Charlee was found shortly after. The house where Charlee was found was a few hundreds yards away from her grandmother’s home. Police were now saying that something was simply not adding up. Sheriff Tinnel explaned: “I can’t believe she survived it. There’s coyotes in them hills. There are copperheads and rattlesnakes and ticks, all the elements. And somehow she came out in pretty good shape.”
Something Didn’t Make Sense
More To The Story
Sheriff Tinnel continued the mystery continued “when she walked up on a porch on Roy Layne Road this evening. The homeowners realized who she was and contacted authorities. She has no obvious serious injuries but did appear dehydrated and had some tick bites.” The way Charlee was found and the state she was in only created more questions for him and he was determined to find out what was going on.
More To The Story
Custody Issues
While her family was thrilled that Charlee was found safe, her great-grandmother emphasized to everyone that the little girl had a very normal life and that she had a support system of people who love her. She did admit, however, that “my daughter definitely needs to get herself together and take care of herself.” The sheriff had ideas about pursuing negligence charges in this case, and in the meantime, Charlee was put into custody of Child Protective Services.
Custody Issues
Continuing The Investigation
The sheriff was convinced that the child’s disappearance had to do with some sort of custody issue. It remained unclear where exactly Charlee had been while she was missing and whether she had actually been in the woods the entire time. Now the sheriff announced that a criminal investigation would go on while Child Protective Services would continue to be involved. Tinnel said: “I’m trying to keep an open mind through this whole thing, to understand that we don’t know what happened. We want answers like the community wants answers.”
Continuing The Investigation
Not The Only Time
Unfortunately, people go missing quite often, and it is already a traumatizing experience for the family involved as well as the community as a whole. However, this story also involves a brave dog and an incredible outcome. Dog walker Annette Poitras went missing while she was walking three dogs in Coquitlam, British Columbia, Canada.
Not The Only Time (Coquitlam RCMP)
Missing For Days
The 56 year old dog walker was missing for two days, and throughout these days the weather was truly awful. She spent two soggy nights in the wilderness with the dogs as search crews looked for her. Luckily, she was found two days into the search.
Missing For Days (Susana Da Silva/CBC)
Being Airlifted To Safety
As the search and rescue crew found her, she was airlifted by a long-line helicopter and taken back to safety. As Poitras arrived, her family was loudly cheering with joy upon her return.
Being Airlifted To Safety (Susana Da Silva/CBC)
Her Husband Was Thrilled
Her husband Marcel Poitras told reporters: “I couldn’t breathe. It was just amazing. I told my daughter we’ll wait until she gets home before we start giving her s***.”
Her Husband Was Thrilled (Coquitlam SAR:Twitter)
Where They Found Her
Poitras was found in the Coquitlam watershed, in a spot that’s actually off limit to dog walkers and hikers. This area was quite far from where she had last been seen. According to Cpl. Michael McLaughlin of Coquitlam RCMP, “She is alive, she is talking to rescuers, she is sore.”
Where They Found Her (Coquitlam SAR/Twitter)
Feeling Grateful
Her husband Michael was so beyond relieved when she was found by the search crews, especially given the bad weather. He said: “I just want to say support your local search and rescue and hug your spouse tonight, whoever you’re lying in bed with tonight, hold on to them.”
Feeling Grateful (Susana Da Silva/CBC)
How They Found Her
While it was unclear how she had gone off the trail, a search crew official told CBC News that she hid under a log in order to stay dry. She was moderately injured after slipping onto a log in the wet wilderness, hurting her rib. Despite this, she seemed to still be “chipper.”
How They Found Her (Marcel Poitras)
The Conditions
Al Hurley, the search manager for Coquitlam Search and Rescue said: “It was extremely wet and slippery, with very thick underbrush. The [infared sensor] was out with the helicopter yesterday and didn’t pick up any body heat, so that’s how thick the brush is. It’s a miracle to me that she seems in pretty good shape.”
The Conditions (North Shore Rescue)
When She Was Found
After the search and rescue crew had found her, they were extremely relieved that she was alive. They provided her with dry clothing and then was immediately long-lined out of the wilderness by a helicopter. Once she was safely out of the woods, she was taken to the hospital with an ambulance.
When She Was Found (Shane MacKichen)
What About The Dogs?
After Poitras was rescued, there were two more helicopter trips made in order to save the dogs as well. The first was Bubba, an older puggle, and the second was Chloe, a border collie, along with the third dog Roxy, a young boxer. They were all safely returned to their owners, who were thrilled.
What About The Dogs? (Coquitlam Search And Rescue/Twitter)
How He Felt
The whole ordeal was agonizing for her husband Marcel, who shared: “I’ve had some dark days here. [But] I woke up this morning and I just knew it, I knew she was coming home today.” His intuition was right, and they were all lucky that she was returned home safely.
How He Felt (Poitras Family)
How Many Helped
In order to search for Poitras and the dogs, about 60 crew members led by the Coquitlam Search and Rescue were tasked with searching the grounds in the huge backcountry area of Eagle Mountain on the third day of the search.
How Many Helped (Coquitlam SAR:Facebook)
What They Used
After two full nights, on the third day, Poitras was finally found and several RCMP vehicles were used to search, while two helicopters and the expert searchers from all around the province were all employed to get her and the dogs to safety.
What They Used (Coquitlam SAR/Twitter)
