After being reported missing for two years, six-year-old Paislee Shultis has been found.
According to the New York Post, the girl was reported missing from her home in upstate New York in July 2019 when she was just four years old.
Police initially suspected Paislee’s non-custodial parents had something to do with her disappearance, but did not bring any charges.
Acting on an anonymous tip, authorities found Paislee over 240km away on Monday.
After a gruelling hour long search, police found Paislee and her non-custodial mother, Kimberly Cooper, hidden in a secret makeshift room under a staircase.
Detective Erik Thiele noted that something appeared odd about the staircase and saw a blanket after flashing a light between the steps.
“However, detectives used a … tool to remove several of the wooden steps, and that is when detectives saw a pair of tiny feet,” police said in a statement on Tuesday.
“After removing several more steps, the child and her abductor were discovered within. The space was small, cold, and wet.”
The six-year-old was examined by paramedics and found to be in good health, and has been returned to her legal guardian.
Cooper and Kirk Shultis Jr., the girl’s non-custodial father, have been charged in the case of Paislee’s disappearance, along with Shultis’ father.
The trio face custodial interference and child endangerment charges.
Image credits: Saugerties Police
This article first appeared on OverSixty.