Alex Carson
Charlee Campbell
Charlee was a typical two-year-old baby girl from Lebanon Junction, Kentucky. She lived with her grandmother, and she loved to play outside. Charlee came from a small town, and everyone knew everyone. Charlee wasn’t only loved by her family; she was adored by the entire town.
Charlee’s Disappearance
The day that Charlee disappeared started like any other day. Beth, her grandmother, allowed her to play outside in the yard with their dog, Penny. When she looked out the window to check on the little girl, she began to panic. Charlee was nowhere in sight.
Searching the Neighborhood
As soon as Beth discovered that Charlee was missing, she quickly ran to the neighbors’ houses. She hoped that her granddaughter would have gone to one of their homes. Unfortunately, none of the neighbors had seen Charlee. Beth was panicking when there were no sightings of Charlee. Fortunately, Beth’s neighbors loved the little girl, and they were all more than willing to help search for her.
Hours Passed
The whole neighborhood was searching for Charlee for hours. Sadly, nobody could find her anywhere. As the sun started to set, and there were no clues as to where she had gone, everyone became anxious. Charlee’s mother, Natalie Quick, and her great-grandmother, Lisa Chesher, and Beth all searched for Charlee. The neighbors and local law enforcement were also out looking or the little girl. Even though the sun was setting, the search for Charlee didn’t stop. Neither did the prayers. Everyone was begging God to bring the little girl home.
Days and Investigations
The search continued for two days, and the local law enforcement was focused on the woods near Beth’s home. The whole town was working with the sheriff’s office to find Charlee. The search continued all day Thursday and Friday, and during the search, the FBI was conducting interviews with members of the family. They needed to know as much about Charlee and her family as possible if they were going to find out where the little girl was.
Searching the Forest
The family was devastated. The idea of little Charlee being out in the wilderness alone was much more than they could handle. The terrain was dangerous, and if Charlee was out there alone, her family was sure that she would be terrified. The terrain was so dangerous that the local authorities wouldn’t allow the family to search the woods for Charlee. They didn’t want another person to be in danger. That would only slow down the search for Charlee. The sheriff got the police together along with the local firefighters, and they went out to the woods looking for little Charlee. When they all went out to search, everyone worried that the worse might have already happened. The terrain was dangerous, and the odds of such a young girl making it out there for two days were very slim.
A Dangerous Search
The search team and the FBI agents spend all day Thursday and Friday searching for Charlee. It was very hot outside and humid. The rocky terrain and the snakes in the area made the search dangerous for the team, so they could only imagine what little Charlee had been going through. Despite their fears that the little girl hadn’t survived the night, they didn’t stop the search. Finally, they got word that Charlee had been spotted. The call came from a man named Wayne Brown. She says that he was sitting on his couch, praying for Charlee’s safe return when he saw a little blonde-haired girl wandering through his backyard.
“Are You Charlee?”
Wayne spoke the local authorities and told them that when he saw Charlee, she was covered in dirt, and she had leaves in her hair. When he opened the door, he asked her if her name was Charlee. She handed him a bottle, and he asked her again. According to Wayne, she wouldn’t say anything. When he looked beyond Charlee, she was shocked to see that she didn’t come out of the woods alone.
Charlee Wasn’t the Only One Who Was Missing
With Charlee’s disappearance, Beth and her family didn’t even notice that someone else was missing. They were too focused on looking for Charlee. Beth’s dog, Penny, was missing for 36-hours, but the family didn’t notice. Charlee’s disappearance took over their minds, and they didn’t even think about the dog. When Wayne saw Charlee, Penny was with her.
Feeling Thankful
As happy as the family and the whole town was that Charlee was found, they were just as happy that she wasn’t alone for the last two days. Knowing the Penny was with her, helping her be less afraid, gave them peace of mind that she wouldn’t have been too traumatized by the ordeal. When the news of Charlee’s return spread, people were amazed by Penny’s loyalty and courage. Everyone knew that the odds were against Charlee coming home safely. If it weren’t for Penny, everyone knew that she might not have made it.
A Hero
When Beth spoke to the local news, she said, “When they told me they found Charlee, I was outside of myself. I was just so happy. When my dog didn’t come home, and my baby wasn’t home, she was not going to leave that baby until she got here. This is our hero right here.” Penny was the hero. The family also considered Wayne, a hero. He prayed for her safe return, and he was the one who spotted her and alerted the authorities. Beth gives both Wayne and Penny credit for bringing her granddaughter home.
Showing Their Gratitude
When the family heard that Charlee had been found, they raced to the BCSO. Her grandfather grabbed her favorite stuffed animal before going so that she could be reunited with one of her best friends. Charlee’s mother was excited to hold her daughter because she believed that she would never be able to do so again. Her great-grandmother says that she will give Charlee a big hug, and Penny a major thank you. She plans to thank Penny by feeding her a few hamburgers. She wanted to thank Penny for staying with Charlee while she was missing.
Thanking The Rescue Team
When Charlee was found, the Bullitt Country Sheriff’s Office released a statement, thanking everyone involved in the search. They thanked the neighbors, the EMT s, the dispatchers, search and rescue, and the local firefighters. The sheriff’s office posted their thanks and Charlee’s condition on their Facebook page. In the post, they let the public know that Charlee had no visible signs of serious injury. They took her to the hospital, where she was treated for dehydration and tick bites. They also created two hashtags, “#CharleeisSafe,” and #WeAreBullittCounty.”
A Mystery To Solve
Charlee was taken to the hospital right away for an evaluation; she hugged her stuffed animal tight as they wheeled her in. She wasn’t showing any emotion, and they still had yet to hear her speak. Charlee did find her way home, but the people involved had a mystery to solve.
God’s Help
The authorities had to speak to Wayne since he was the one who found her. He said that she spent three hours looking for Charlee on Thursday, and then prayed. On Friday evening, she was right outside her home. He was sure that God led her there. Wayne gives God credit because the people searching for Charlee were looking everywhere. He knew that it was God who led the little girl to the safety of his front yard. Searching for Charlee wasn’t the first time that Wayne had been hoping that a missing child would return.
Wayne’s brother had disappeared when he was just three years old, but sadly, unlike Charlee, his brother never returned home. They found him a day later, drowned in a creek. When his brother went missing, it was discovered that the boy wandered away from home and had to climb three fences. His body was found a mile away from the house by his uncle. When Wayne first heard about Charlee’s disappearance, he immediately thought about his brother. Wayne was worried that Charlee’s fate would be similar to his brother’s, which is why he wanted to help with the search. It is also the reason that he prayed for her safe return. He didn’t want Charlee’s family to go through what his family had.
Never Giving Up
Despite the fact that Charlee was gone for 32-hours, her family says that they never gave up. Charlee’s mother says that she worried that the authorities would eventually give up the search, and Charlee would never be found. When the little girl was found, her family says that her disappearance was one of the hardest things they had ever gone through. The Bullitt Country Sheriff’s office doesn’t think that she was alone in the woods for 32 hours. Charlee’s great-grandmother, Lisa Chesher, strongly disagrees with them.
A Conflict
According to Sheriff Tinnell, the whole thing ended too easily. He doesn’t believe that Charlee was alone in the woods for over two days, but Lisa thinks that this is crazy. He says that the idea of them taking her and hiding her, and then leaving her in the woods when the FBI showed up was insane. She says that the time that Charlee was missing was extremely difficult for everyone, and she didn’t like the way that Sheriff Tinnell was painting her daughter and granddaughter. Because of this, the family was scrutinized.
Digging For Answers
When Charlee returned home safely, this wasn’t enough for the Bullitt County Sheriff’s Office. They wanted answers, so on Saturday, they showed up at the house on Brown’s Roy Layne Road to do a foot search. They went down the hill to Charlee’s house, hoping to find tracks or scents using dogs. And they had experienced the terrain in the woods, and they wanted to know how Charlee got there, and how she survived. They weren’t sure that the family was completely honest. When Charlee was found, she was still wearing the Disney pajama top that her grandmother described when she reported her missing. However, she wasn’t wearing a diaper or pants, which made the sheriff’s office even more suspicious.
A Custody Issue?
The sheriff’s office wondered how the young girl survived with just scratches on her feet and ticks on her body. They started to wonder if there was a custody issue within the family since the grandmother had custody. When questioned, Charlee’s grandmother says that there was no custody issue and that she and her daughter were happy with the current arrangement. Charlee’s mother goes to the house every day to care for her daughter before going to her own home to sleep at night. When both women denied any custody issues, Charlee’s grandmother gave her theory of what happened. She says that Charlee had just learned to open the deadbolt on the door. She believes that she opened the door and headed out on her own. The sheriff’s office admitted that this was possible, but there was still one crucial detail to consider.
Addiction
During questioning, Beth admits that she and Charlee’s mother have both been battling addiction. She even admitted to relapsing recently when she used meth. She didn’t have to admit to her substance abuse issues, but her random confession brought on more trouble. The sheriff’s office was sure that something else had happened to the little girl. He says that there are coyotes in the hills, along with copperheads and rattlesnakes. The fact that Charlee came out in good shape wasn’t enough to close the case. It only made them suspicious.
Child Protective Surfaces
Despite the fact that Charlee was found safe and her family participated in the search, the sheriff’s office claimed negligence. After Charlee was released from the hospital, she was placed in the custody of Child Protective Services. Also, the sheriff’s office says that the investigation isn’t close. The family is happy that Charlee is safe, and they are just waiting until they are finally cleared, and Charlee can return home. 36 Hours After She Went Missing, Girl Was Found – But Not Alone. Penny was also a hero.
