Hillsborough County Sheriff's deputies found safe and sound a five-year-old girl with autism who had gotten lost in a swamp in Tampa, Florida, after wandering away from her home.
In the images that show the emotional rescue you can see part of the operation and the moment in which one of the agents makes eye contact with the little girl and calms her.
"Hey!" one of the agents shouts, opening his arms, the moment he finds the disoriented minor, wandering a few meters away. “Come here, honey… let's get you out of the water,” the agent says warmly to the girl, She walks until the police manage to pick her up and take her to a safe place.
The girl's mother reported her missing just after 5 p.m. Monday when she realized her daughter, who was not identified because of her age, was not at a neighbor's house, as she had thought.
The girl was found unharmed in the swamp in less than an hour, thanks to the quick response of the authorities, who faced various obstacles due to the child's condition; however, everything had a happy ending.
"In situations like this, every second counts, and it's always gratifying to see this quick response from our deputies and see such a positive outcome," Sheriff Chad Chronister told WFLA.
His quick action was salvation, turning potential tragedy into a hopeful reunion. Their dedication shows what service and protection are all about here at the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office,” said Sheriff Chad Chronister.
Chronister said officers faced numerous obstacles in addition to the dense Florida vegetation that made it difficult to get the girl to safety.
“When you have to work with people who have autism, it creates a lot of obstacles,” he said.
“One is that they are attracted to water. The second is that they often have difficulties with communication,” he added.
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