“I dread to think what could have happened if these deputies wouldn’t have made contact with her,” Sheriff Chad Chronister says.
Florida deputies sprang into action when the received word that a 5-year-old girl was missing.
They set out to find the child, who is autistic, after she wandered away from home near an alligator-infested swamp, and did so quickly, knowing that she was in serious danger.
“You’re going to have snakes, alligators. That’s their feeding time so you can imagine the sense of urgency we had,” Sheriff Chad Chronister tells Inside Edition.
To maximize their search and cover as much ground as possible, authorities with the sheriff’s department in Hillsborough County also set out in a helicopter with an infrared camera.
The decision to put up a chopper paid off. Searchers found the little girl.
“I dread to think what could have happened if these deputies wouldn’t have made contact with her,” Chronister says.
The sheriff says the quick action of the deputies saved the day.
