After a harrowing two days in which search parties agonized in dropping temperatures, a 13-year old Utah girl has been found unharmed.
Brooklyn Gittins disappeared from her home on Tuesday night wearing only pajama pants and a t-shirt, and her parents feared she’d been abducted as it was obvious she hadn’t planned for the elements. With a snowstorm moving in, investigators began to prepare themselves for the worst as the teenager had no shoes or coat with her.
“We’re very, very saddened by the fact that to date, we’ve been unable to locate her,” Sheriff Jim Winder said.
However, Gittins called her grandmother late on Thursday night from a nearby town and police retrieved her safely. It’s suspected that she was taken in by someone, but Gittins wouldn’t say who.
“We believe she left her home through her bedroom window and was picked up and harbored by a person or persons,” Lt. Justin Hoyal said.
Gittins has run away from home before, and her family didn’t know what to believe when they discovered she was missing but there was no sign of forced entry or a struggle.