The search for the missing two-year-old girl from South Carolina, Sara Alice Grice, has ended after she was located by a deer hunter who heard her cry in the woods.
The young child, who had been reported missing on Sunday, October 22, around 3 p.m., was located at 6:00 p.m. She had gone missing after lying down with her mother outside their Prosperity home, as reported by People.
Sara was found nearly a mile away from home
According to a Facebook release from the Newberry County Sheriff’s Office, “Around 6:00 pm, a deer hunter heard her crying. He called Newberry County 911, which began to track them through our mapping technology.”
This information provided by the deer hunter was then relayed to first responders and the SLED helicopter. Ultimately, a search team located the hunters and the young girl in a wooded area nearly a mile away from her home.
How did Sara go missing?
Speaking to NBC affiliate WIS-TV, Sara’s parents, Mekayla and Gary, spoke of how the disappearance took place. They said that Gary had left the house through the backdoor while their daughter was sleeping. Upon returning, they realized their daughter was missing and thus contacted 911.
“It was a scary thought because what if someone sees movement and doesn’t realize it’s a child,” Mekayla shared. “Instead, we got a great response that [helped find] our baby.”
Sheriff Lee Foster, in his statement to People, confirmed that the girl “walked out of the home on her own,” noting that there was “nothing sinister” about the case. “She was lost and was found,” he continued.
The toddler was found in good shape
The sheriff’s office reported that after the discovery of Sara, she was safely transported to a Newberry County Emergency Medical Services ambulance by a department vehicle waiting on the scene.
“Other than being tired, thirsty, and frightened, the little girl was in good shape,” said authorities and called her discovery “truly a miraculous find.”
Amazed by her daughter’s journey from home, Mekayla told WIS-TV, “To have gone a mile in a completely different direction is just astounding.”