SOUTH BRISTOL, N.Y. — A New York State Trooper found a missing 2-year-old girl and carried her to safety on Saturday.Trooper Brian Hotchkiss found the young child sitting on a rock in the middle of a stream while assisting the Ontario County Sheriff's Office in the search in the town of South Bristol.
“It was getting close to getting dark out and getting cold. We wanted to get the search done as soon as we could," said Ontario County Sheriff Kevin Henderson.
Troopers were called in to assist Ontario County Sheriff's deputies in the search for the missing child.Hotchkiss was one of several state troopers who responded to a wooded area near Bristol Mountain.
“I began knocking on neighbors’ doors with a couple other troopers, alerting neighbors to check their property. They started contacting other neighbors and resources for help," said Hotchkiss.With no luck around the girls' home or surrounding properties, Hotchkiss decided to climb a nearby mountain.
“I knew I wouldn’t be able to sleep at night if I didn’t check. I kept climbing and climbing after about 45 minutes of the climb, I looked up to the summit of the mountain and all I could see were trees and dirt," said Hotchkiss, "“My heart just dropped. I was so excited. She hugged me immediately and wouldn’t let go. We're very thankful for it.
"The search took about an hour, troopers say. The girl was cold, but alert.Hotchkiss said there was only about 30 minutes of sunlight left to search when he found the girl. He's grateful the story had a positive outcome.
He says this isn't the first missing child he's helped rescue.“I’ve seen these go really bad. We weren’t giving up. We were fearing the worst was going to happen. Her turning and looking at me, throwing her hands up in the air, that’s something I’ll never forget," said Hotchkiss.
