Tennessee officials report missing girl found safe
UPDATE:Authorities in Tennessee are reporting a missing girl and subject of an Amber Alert has been found safe. WATE, the ABC affiliate in Knoxville, reports the Hawkins County sheriff says Carlie Trent has been found, and a suspect is in custody.
Trent, 9, was taken out of school last week by her uncle through marriage, Gary Simpson, under false pretenses. Simpson has no custodial rights to her. On its Twitter account, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation indicated Simpson is the person in custody.
Earlier this week, the Missouri State Highway Patrol issued an Amber Alert in Missouri after a possible sighting of Trent and her uncle, Gary Simpson, in Cooper County. That alert was later canceled after authorities determined the sighting to be a false alarm.
Cooper County Sheriff Jerry Wolfe said the sighting reportedly happened on the Lamine River near Clifton City, a town about 26 miles southwest of Boonville. Investigators spoke with people living in the area, who said they saw a van that looked like Simpson’s.
“Further investigation revealed the van was not the van described in the initial TN Amber Alert,” Wolfe said in an emailed statement. “No other information has developed regarding the possible sighting. Officials continue investigating to determine if the sighting may have been local residents.”
Sergeant Scott White with the Missouri State Highway Patrol tells ABC 17 News Cooper County authorities asked the patrol for help around 10 a.m. Tuesday. MSHP used its helicopter during the search, but was refueling at Boonville airport as of late Tuesday afternoon. Sgt. White said 12 troopers and two aircraft assisted.
