A happy moment after a tense night as a 2-year-old girl is reunited with her family. (Image: WTVC)
All’s well that ends well, but a Chattanooga family endured a few hours of terror Tuesday night and Wednesday morning after they realized their 2-year-old child was missing.
The child is now back safe with her family, after a neighbor pulled into his driveway and found her sleeping in a chair on his porch.
The family says they woke up at their home on Noa Street to realize their little girl was missing.
Our camera was the only one rolling to capture when she was found safe and the emotional reunion.
“It’s the best ending that could have happened for sure,” said Brian Eagle.
Eagle is the man who found the little girl on his porch, sleeping on a chair just before 5 a.m.
A surveillance camera on his porch shows the moment he noticed she was there.
“She was just laying there sleep like babies do,” hew said.
“On their knees with their face down and butt in the air. I missed her walking up the steps to open the door. I put the key in, looked over, looked back, looked over again. It just set in. I grabbed her real quick and took her down to the police.”
It all started two hours earlier when the girl’s family woke up only to find that she was nowhere to be found.
Shortly after red and blue lights brightened Noa Street as first responders rushed to find the girl they say wandered away from home.
“In cases like this, especially at that age, time is crucial,” said Lt. Charlier Brown with Chattanooga police.
Officers went door to door and spoke to neighbors. Brown says this was a learning experience for residents to call for help before looking on their own.
“We’re going to have the blood hounds, we’re going to have the dogs out here trying to get the scent,” he said during the search.
“Call us immediately. You can disturb the area and make it more difficult for the dog to pick the scent.”
But just a little more than one block away was as far as she could go, thanks to Eagle.
“No hero,” he said.
“Just doing what any normal human being should do.”
The Chattanooga Police Department, the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Department and a Hamilton County STARS team sprang to action, canvassing the area, going house to house, and talking to neighbors.
Brian Eagle pulled into his driveway shortly before 5 a.m. to find the girl curled up in a chair on his porch and sleeping.
Chattanooga Police then reunited the child with her parents. She was not hurt.
We are working to get more information about this story. Depend on us for updates throughout the day as we get them.