A parent’s worst nightmare is losing a child.
When 3-year-old Serenity Sanders went missing near her home, her family was beside themselves. Serenity disappeared around 8 p.m. at night when she walked away from her home in rural Alabama. Her parents searched for Serenity, but when they were unable to locate her, they called 911.
Local police, the fire department, and ambulances showed up to look for Serenity. Even helicopters were brought in to search for the little girl by air. Eric Gilbreath, the father of Serenity’s half-brother, also drove two hours to help the family find their daughter.
He wasn’t sure if he could help find the girl, but he knew he had to try.
He took a flashlight and headed into the forest near the home. He walked up and down hills and rough terrain for hours. He checked behind trees, in caves, behind rocks, and anywhere else a child could hide.
After a long search, his efforts paid off. He walked behind a train and heard a small voice say, “Hey, Eric.” It was Serenity. She was standing there with the family dog. It had never left her side. Eric was extremely happy to find Serenity safe, but he had gotten lost in the dark forest himself. However, he was able to signal for help and get the attention of the police who were searching nearby.
He immediately called the girl’s mother, as well, to tell her that her child was safe.
She was thrilled to know that Serenity had been found and thankful that Gilbreath had worked so hard to find her. After Serenity’s rescue, he was interviewed by the media. He said:
“There were several rescue people there, deputies and police, but they had been out searching for hours and had just about decided to quit until daylight. I couldn’t wait; I just went off into the woods and started calling her name.”
Serenity was taken to a local hospital to make sure she was OK.
Other than a few scratches, she appeared to be fine. Still, she was hospitalized as a precaution and given some fluids to help keep her hydrated.
Sadly, hundreds of children go missing every year.
Many of them are not as lucky as Serenity. There are special organizations and search parties that offer their services to help locate missing children. When a child goes missing, every second counts. Thankfully, Serenity has a lot of family and friends who began searching for her immediately. She also happened to live in a community that was supportive, caring, and quick to help. Her rescue was celebrated by not only her family, but her neighbors, as well.
The police and search party members were relieved to find the child so quickly. They believe that the efforts and quick actions of so many people led to her safe discovery. Nobody was going to give up until the child was found and returned to her parents.
Chief Deputy Michael Edmondson said:
“The amount of support that was received from all these agencies and citizens that came to assist in finding this little girl just goes to show what a great County that we live in. We are so thankful that she was found unharmed and okay. Thank you to all that assisted in this search.”
Thanks to the help of so many people, little Serenity was returned to her home safely.
Hopefully, she and her loyal dog have learned to stay closer to home.
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