Missing Tawas toddler is found by John Morris TAWAS CITY – Missing for nearly 22 hours, and spending the night lost and alone in the woods, a two-year-old Tawas City girl was found Thursday by a Michigan State Police canine unit. Brooklyn Lynn Lilly was found shortly after noon Thursday near a creek about three-quarters of a mile from her home along the 1900 block of Laidlaw Road in Tawas Township. “She had some superficial cuts and obviously dealing with some exposure issues, dirty, but physically she appears to be OK,” said Michigan State Police Lt. Brian Cole.“ Cole said the toddler was reunited with her family, her mother, Tricia Cook, and step-father, Alex Cook, and Tom Lilly, her biological father, who rode with her in an ambulance to Tawas St. Joseph Hospital “to make sure she is 100 percent OK.” Brooklyn was reported missing at 2:20 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 5. Family members said the toddler’s step-grandfather was watching her before she disappeared. She had been playing outside. “She’s just a normal two-year-old,” said Patrick McDonald, a friend of the family. “In five minutes she was gone. I guess the day before she ran down to the creek. Her dad caught her and the next thing you know yesterday (Wednesday, Nov. 5) she ran down again. “There a bridge and there’s only one bridge that goes back there and I thought she went across the bridge. You can’t cross the creek, for a two-year-old that would be real hard. “Tom (Lilly), her dad, he said he walked through the creek way down there looking for her. When I was walking down there I was looking for sand prints or something, but I didn’t see anything.” A host of law enforcement and emergency personnel from multiple agencies searched throughout the night for the missing two-year-old on foot and on all-terrain vehicles. She was described as approximately two feet tall, weighing about 30 pounds with blonde hair and blue eyes. Brooklyn was wearing a pink winter coat, blue jeans and black boots. Also assisting at the scene overnight were a MSP canine unit as well as a state police helicopter from Lansing. Temperatures reached a low of 41 degrees with some overnight rain in the heavily wooded area. Cole briefed the media about 30 minutes before the little girl was found. “Yesterday (Wednesday, Nov. 5) at about 2:20 p.m. Brooklyn was with a family member when she wandered off,” he said. “What we’re doing right now is our detectives and our troopers are canvassing the area. Currently, our canine unit is out checking in the woods, speaking with neighbors, whatnot, trying to get any information. “We don’t want people in the woods right now because we don’t want that area contaminated. We’re not at that time in the investigation where we want people in the woods.” A low cloud cover and light drizzling rain kept the helicopter grounded Thursday. “If and when the weather clears up, we’re going to use that resource again,” Cole then said. Family members were relieved that the two-year-old had been finally found. “We’re thankful for all the help and prayers from the authorities,” said Alecia Cook, the little girl’s step-aunt. “We’re just happy they found her,” McDonald said. “She’s a little two-year-old.” “It’s just a great outcome,” Cole said. “It’s what we always want. It was a team effort. We had a lot of resources out here and it’s greatly appreciated. “This is a very happy day.” Tom Lilly said Monday Brooklyn is back home after spending three days at the hospital. She was transferred from Tawas St. Joseph Hospital to Saginaw St. Mary’s. “She is doing good,” he said.
Posted on: Sun, 16 Nov 2014 20:03:41 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015