RICHMOND — A search for two little girls ended successfully Thursday after multiple law enforcement agencies spent the afternoon looking for them.
Cache County Sheriff’s Chief Deputy Matt Bilodeau said the 8 and 9-year-old girls were reported missing from White Pine Elementary School around 12:50 p.m. The school’s faculty notified law enforcement immediately, who responded to the scene and set up a perimeter.
Family and school staff were able to provide a clothing description of what the girls were wearing.
Sheriff’s Lt. Doyle Peck said the girls reportedly left to school to go on a planned adventure. Teachers had overheard the girls talking about their idea and seen them putting extra food in their pockets at lunchtime.
Throughout the afternoon, additional crews from neighboring law enforcement agencies assisted deputies looking for the juveniles. They were assisted by Search and Rescue teams and drones.
Dispatch operators conducted a reverse 911 call and sent out a description of the missing girls to Richmond City residents.
Around 4:30 p.m., a woman called 911, reporting the girls were seen running along a ditch-bank west of Pepperidge Farms.
Deputies responded to the area and located the girls, approximately 2.5 miles from the school.
Peck said the girls we’re unharmed and likely didn’t realize the alarm they caused their family and the community.
“We easily had 45 people out looking for the girls all afternoon coming together to try and find them,” explained Peck. “We had deputies, North Park police, Logan City police, Search and Rescue and Victim’s Advocates. We pulled out all the stops on this one to try and have them found.”
Deputies transferred the girls back to the school, where they were reunited with their families.
The girl’s identities are not being released because of their age.
will@cvradio.com