Search For Missing 2 YO Found Alive Raises Questions

Two-Year-Old Tulsa Girl Found Safe Near Oologah Lake

OOLOGAH, OK -- A two year old is safe and sound after she wandered off from her parents' campsite at Oologah Lake. Emergency responders from across the state searched for the little girl for nine hours. In the end, a local teenager saved the day.

~Snip~

But, for nine hours as the search went on and on, it was no laughing matter. The volunteers and emergency responders left no stone unturned at the 40 acre campsite.

It turns out Kari Thomas was hanging out in the weeds across the highway.

It was 16-year-old Chaz Brewer heard her first.

"She was sitting down, just sitting up and playing with a weed, and she was hollering daddy," said Chaz Brewer.

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A massive search was undertaken to locate the child. Divers and boat patrols, along with helicopter and airplane patrols were made. Approximately 100 personnel were on scene to assist with the overall efforts. Teams of searchers entered wooded areas and local businesses donated water for the search teams.

Approximately 9 hours after the initial sheriff's office response, volunteers on horseback located the child in an area outside of the search perimeter. The child appeared dehydrated and was transported to a local hospital for treatment.

~Snip~


Responding Agencies:

Rogers County Sheriff's Office - 17 Deputies

Owasso Police Department - 9 Officers and 1 K-9

Northwest Fire District - 13 Firefighters and one rescue boat

Oklahoma Highway Patrol - 8 Troopers, one helicopter, one fixed-wing aircraft for assistance

Washington County Emergency Management - 18 personnel, communications trailer, mobile radio repeater for on site use, 6 All Terrain vehicles and two four-wheeler mules.

District 2, County Commissioners - 13 employees, one gator (four wheeler)

Chelsea Fire Department - 4 firefighters

Oologah Talala Emergency Services - Command vehicles and ambulance services

Air-Evac - helicopter

Donna Bosch, Search and rescue - K-9

Volunteers Divers - Leroy Kiassler, Jason Littlefield, Kevin Roberts

American Red Cross - 5 Personnel and scene assistance

US Corps of Engineers - 7 personnel.

Other agencies and personnel on-scene to assist included the Oologah Police Department, County Commissioners Mike Helm and Dan Delozier, Bartlesville Police Department, Tulsa Search and eRescue and Green County Search and rescue.

http://www.newson6.com/Global/story.asp?S=10836323 BBM

To me, it raises some huge issues in the way this search was conducted, the effectiveness of the K-9 units and how their dogs failed to track her, and how this child was missed because she was "outside the perimeter" of the search area. For Gosh sakes...she was right across the highway!! The dogs obviously did not find her scent at all. The people who set up the area for the search did not include the other side of the highway?! WTH?! Look at the number of people and agencies involved in this SAR yet no one thought to check across the street?! She could have died in today's heat after spending so many hours out alone because they did not walk across the street.

This makes me wonder in other cases and other searches across the country if the dogs are missing leads, if the people setting up the search areas are missing their marks, and if other children aren't within earshot of where they went missing. I do believe this cases shows some definite issues which could very well plague other agencies and SAR teams.

It does make you wonder about other cases, doesn't it?

Gees, Mom and Dad didn't look across the highway either! How did this toddler get across the highway without anyone seeing her stumbling along the campground area and into the street? How does a 2 year old get that far away from Mom and Dad?

It is strange that the dogs could not follow her scent. Something is amiss.

It certainly does, Steadfast. How can we trust when 100 professionals go out to find a child that they are not making some horrible mistake like these 100 professionals appeared to make so easily?

I am so angered to read the "thank you" portion where everyone is getting patted on the back on that case and how they "left no stone unturned". WTH? They screwed up!

Could Haleigh be across the highway, too? Could Lindsey be just outside the perimeter of the search area and within range of her home because someone set it up wrong to begin with? Look where they found Caylee!

I wonder if someone snatched her and then changed their mind and put her there where someone would eventually find her. Nine hours is an awfully long time for a two year old to be out there all alone with no food/water.

didn't they say Elizabeth Smart was hidden in a hole in the ground when everyone was searching for her? when she first disappeared...

Excellent point, Fhc~

Pass~ She appears to be old enough to tell them if someone took her and dumped her. I guess we will have to wait to find out further information, but the dehydration does indicate she was out there all that time, imo.

Another issue just came up in the search for 8 yo Robert Manwill who they possibly found in a canal today. LE made a decision last week to "rule out" searching the canal for the boy. Another case of someone's error in judgement about where to search, imo.

ID-Robert Manwill, 8, Boise #2 - Websleuths Crime Sleuthing Community

Luckily she was found safe...but I'm in the camp of WTH, across the highway and a 16 year old ended up finding her? out of ALLLLL of the trained personnel?

I remember a case from the 1980s (possibly Laura Bradbury?) that took place in Joshua National Park (I think this is the right case), where they speculated later that she had been nearby during the search, hidden by the tall grass.

I'm glad this little girl was found safe.

Oh, don't get me wrong. I am delighted she was found safe! What a miracle! I know the family must be so very relieved and the searchers did put great effort into doing all they did to find her. It wasn't their fault as it was the person in charge who decided it wasn't a "good place" to search.

It just made me cringe at the thought of how differently this could have ended for this child and how many other times that this scenario could be playing out right before our eyes. She could have walked across the highway and been hit by a car. The heat today was near 100 degrees and being already dehydrated...she could have passed out and the consequences could have been dire.

It also made me examine the K-9s who were supposed to be tracking this child with a fresh scent. I believe they had at least 2 professional K-9 units on the scene. How did those dogs miss her across the highway? What does this say about the accuracy of tracking dogs in general? LE has become fairly dependent on the dogs to point them in the right direction. Does this case show how dangerous it is to lay their eggs in that basket?

Hi SS, glad to see ya. I'm just as upset about this as you are. It really makes me wonder how much training these searchers and dog handlers have when they can't find a child RIGHT ACROSS THE HIGHWAY!!!

On a related note, did anyone else see the story on Anderson Cooper 360 the other night about the dog handler whose "tracking" got a man falsely imprisoned for 26 years. This guy had convinced ppl that his dog could track underwater, and could track a scent 8 1/2 YEARS :waitasec: after the fact. It was very interesting and disturbing at the same time.

Here is a link for the story. It has video and a written article for those who are "video" challenged.
http://ac360.blogs.cnn.com/2009/07/30/fake-scent-tracking-dog-sends-man-to-prison-for-life/

Mr. E said:

I remember a case from the 1980s (possibly Laura Bradbury?) that took place in Joshua National Park (I think this is the right case), where they speculated later that she had been nearby during the search, hidden by the tall grass.

I'm glad this little girl was found safe.

Click to expand...

yes, that was Laura Bradbury. It was the first missing child case that I can distinctly remember. I believe some remains or clothes were found nearby the campsite a few years later. I don't think they ever determined exactly what happened but she may have simply wandered off.

How big is this highway that the search team decided not to cross?