Posted 10:51 pm Sunday, February 05, 2012
Let Us Be Thankful; A Child Is Delivered
It’s so rare that these stories end well. We watch them with trepidation and even fear, but we watch them, because we just can’t not.
But this time, a precious, missing 3-year-old girl was returned safely to her parents
And it shows the best of East Texas. Within hours of her grandmother reporting young Zoey Smith missing, more than 100 East Texans were combing the woods near Canton, searching for the one lost lamb.
“It’s a tale of adventure for 3-year-old Zoey Smith, who told forensic interviewers that she and her pit bull dog Brownie walked more than two miles over rugged terrain and through a creek, where she went underwater, and dense woods before being found Thursday night,” the Tyler Paper reported. “Despite major setbacks during the hours-long search for the missing Canton girl, law enforcement officials said through divine intervention, the child was found safe.”
But this time, a precious, missing 3-year-old girl was returned safely to her parents
And it shows the best of East Texas. Within hours of her grandmother reporting young Zoey Smith missing, more than 100 East Texans were combing the woods near Canton, searching for the one lost lamb.
“It’s a tale of adventure for 3-year-old Zoey Smith, who told forensic interviewers that she and her pit bull dog Brownie walked more than two miles over rugged terrain and through a creek, where she went underwater, and dense woods before being found Thursday night,” the Tyler Paper reported. “Despite major setbacks during the hours-long search for the missing Canton girl, law enforcement officials said through divine intervention, the child was found safe.”
The men who found her were truly called heroes by Van Zandt County Sheriff Pat Burnett. Jason Smith and his son reportedly heard the DPS helicopter (which had been called out to aid in the search), and learned of the missing girl. They got on their four-wheeler and began to search.
The Van Zandt Sheriff’s Office also deserves praise; it went into action quickly, efficiently and on several fronts as soon as it was notified of the missing child.
The ground search began immediately. The search party included sheriff deputies, firefighters, state troopers, FBI agents, constables, game wardens and Alert Academy members.
That DPS helicopter was summoned, but it proved less effective than searchers had hoped, Burnett explained.
The Van Zandt Sheriff’s Office also deserves praise; it went into action quickly, efficiently and on several fronts as soon as it was notified of the missing child.
The ground search began immediately. The search party included sheriff deputies, firefighters, state troopers, FBI agents, constables, game wardens and Alert Academy members.
That DPS helicopter was summoned, but it proved less effective than searchers had hoped, Burnett explained.
“The helicopter’s Fleer, a device used to detect body heat, didn’t work because the ground was too hot. Then we had darkness falling on us and rain moving in. It looked like everything was against us, but it wasn’t. We had divine intervention,” he said.
At the sheriff’s office, deputies sought an Amber Alert from Austin (that was eventually denied, because there was no indication Zoey had been abducted). Still, deputies were able to get alerts approved that relayed vital information to neighboring counties.
And other law enforcement officials were working on the darker possibilities.
Burnett said behind the scenes of the search, FBI and deputies were conducting interviews with family members and all area sex offenders had been questioned in reference to the case.
But in the end, Zoey had merely wandered away from home, as young children sometimes do.
When asked if he was surprised that Zoey and her dog had made it almost two miles away from home through a densely wooded area, across a deep ravine and Kickapoo Creek and a boggy area before being found, Burnett laughed, “Not after I met her. She’s a real firecracker.”
When so many other stories end tragically, we should be thankful and realize we are blessed, just as much as the family that now has Zoey Smith safely at home again.
At the sheriff’s office, deputies sought an Amber Alert from Austin (that was eventually denied, because there was no indication Zoey had been abducted). Still, deputies were able to get alerts approved that relayed vital information to neighboring counties.
And other law enforcement officials were working on the darker possibilities.
Burnett said behind the scenes of the search, FBI and deputies were conducting interviews with family members and all area sex offenders had been questioned in reference to the case.
But in the end, Zoey had merely wandered away from home, as young children sometimes do.
When asked if he was surprised that Zoey and her dog had made it almost two miles away from home through a densely wooded area, across a deep ravine and Kickapoo Creek and a boggy area before being found, Burnett laughed, “Not after I met her. She’s a real firecracker.”
When so many other stories end tragically, we should be thankful and realize we are blessed, just as much as the family that now has Zoey Smith safely at home again.
