Dramatic footage captured the emotional rescue of a missing toddler after she apparently became lost in a wooded area in Port Wentworth, Georgia, a suburb of Savannah.
Two-year-old Kamiyah Vicks went missing after her mother took her for a walk at about 5 p.m. Tuesday, Major Lee Sherod of the Port Wentworth Police Department told WREG.
The officer confirmed the child’s mother had called authorities about her missing toddler.
Authorities responded to what appeared to be a crisis situation when they came upon a “stroller knocked over and the mother’s flip flops near a neighborhood pond,” according to WREG. A search team was then deployed to look for Kamiyah, and officials called in Marine Control as it was a possibility that the tot could’ve been in the pond.
Police officers and firefighters from multiple departments, along with volunteers, were part of the massive search team looking for the little girl.
According to the Savannah Police Department, a team of Savannah Police recruits searched relentlessly for about two hours Wednesday before they heard the cries of Kamiyah in a wooded area, and subsequently ran to the child’s rescue.
Though authorities haven’t revealed what they believe may have happened leading to the toddler ending up in the woods, they did say the mother was hospitalized and interviewed by detectives. Kamiyah was taken to a hospital, and authorities said she “will be okay.”
On their Facebook page, the Savannah Police Department announced the rescue, stating, in part: “To make a long story short, after two hours of scouring a densely wooded area, they found the girl, who seemed equally as relieved as scared. Needless to say, our recruits were extremely relieved themselves. She was hot and had a few scratches, but will be okay. We are grateful that our guys used the training they received thus far to bring about a happy ending. Way to go!”
[Feature photo: Rescue of Kamiyah Vicks, Savannah Police Department]