Missing Tennessee girl Carlie Trent found safe
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EastIdahoNews.com and CNN Newswire staff
Carlie Trent, a 9-year-old girl missing more than a week, has been found safe in eastern Tennessee, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said Thursday afternoon.
Her uncle, Gary Simpson, suspected of taking her from school without permission, has been arrested, the TBI said.
An intensive search had been underway for Simpson and Carlie, who authorities earlier said may have been in “imminent danger.” It’s not known if she was injured.
Simpson, her uncle by marriage, checked Carlie out of her school in Rogersville on May 4, TBI spokesman Josh DeVine said. Simpson, 57, did not have custodial rights.
They were found Thursday in Hawkins County, the county from which they disappeared, authorities said.
The TBI said Simpson had been arrested but did not provide the charges. A kidnapping warrant had been issued against him a few days ago in the case.
DeVine said Simpson bought clothing and camping equipment before going to the school, so investigators thought they might have been staying in the woods or at a campground.
Authorities had thought she might be in the Northwest, including in Idaho. The Idaho Falls Police Department said it received tips of potential sightings of the Simpson’s vehicle, but those tips were unsubstantiated.