Gila County deputies rescue toddler from wash hours after she went missing

GILA COUNTY, AZ (3TV/CBS 5) - A toddler is now safe with her family after being found in a wash in Gila County on Thursday.

Around 4:50 p.m., the Gila County Sheriff’s Office received a call about a missing 3-year-old girl. Deputies and the Forest Service law enforcement responded to the area near Griffin Ranch, about 15 miles north of Globe.

The caller said a car stopped, and that was when the girl got out and couldn’t be found by her family. She was reported missing about 30 minutes before the 911 call.

Deputies met with the family, got a description of the girl and immediately began searching the area on the ground and in the air. The Gila County Sheriff’s Office Globe Search and Rescue, Tonto Rim Search and Rescue, and Arizona Department of Public Safety aircrews were all called to the scene. Friends and family also helped with the search.

Searchers soon found the girl just after midnight on Friday in a wash about half a mile from the vehicle. The Gila County Sheriff’s Office says she traveled around 1.5 miles. She was reunited with her family.

“We are so grateful for this positive outcome; when calls involve young children, it adds a layer of difficulty. Time is so important in Search and Rescue operations, and I couldn’t be prouder of these searchers,” said Sheriff Adam Shepard with the Gila County Sheriff’s Office.

See a spelling or grammatical error in our story? Please click here to report it.

Do you have a photo or video of a breaking news story? Send it to us here with a brief description.

Copyright 2023 KTVK/KPHO. All rights reserved.