SMOAKS, SC (WCBD) – Three children missing from a Colleton County town are now back with their family after being missing for nearly 17 hours.
Authorities said at a news conference just after 10:50 a.m. on Thursday, March 10, the children were found about 100 yards away from their home inside of an abandoned trailer. The grandmother of the girls told News 2 that the children were found in a closet in that home.
“I was so happy to hear the good news that we found them,” said Kimberly Jones, the mother of the children. “But I just don’t know how they was in that house,” Jones added.
At the news conference, the Sheriff said that the abandoned trailer was searched Wednesday night when the children went missing. Nothing was found during that search but authorities said the children were found after it was re-checked on Thursday. We learned the search for the children never stopped despite deputies on the scene telling News 2 the search was called off at 2 a.m. and would resume at 7 a.m. Thursday morning. Right now, the sheriff’s office is working to determine how they missed the children during the initial search.
“I walked all around the house all last night I would’ve heard something,” Jones said. “The sliding glass doors were closed and when they found them it was open. Somebody went to put them in that house,” Jones added.
Sheriff Strickland says their main focus was to find the children safely. He also said the case is still being investigated, but the outcome is what everyone hoped for.
When the children were found, they were awake, alert, tired, thirsty and hungry, Strickland added.
The children were taken to Beaufort to be evaluated by a psychologist just to figure out what happened.
Still, there are many unanswered questions. Who took the children? How did they end up at the abandoned trailer even after officers had already checked it? Authorities plan to release more details after they investigate the incident.
