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Lucky accident leads police to missing toddler

Published: 25 Feb 13 11:26 CET | Print version
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/46390/20130225/

A 2-year-old girl who had been missing for three hours in the snowy fields of central Sweden was found by police officers on Sunday when they accidentally drove their car into a ditch and then heard her crying.

Officers had been called in when the 2-year-old, who was barefoot and only lightly dressed, had wandered off from her home in Ljusdal, central Sweden.

"We immediately started an extensive search as it was deemed a serious case," Paul Edenström of the Gävleborg county police told the Aftonbladet newspaper.

"We were on our way up with helicopters from Stockholm and we had dogs and all the available police resources at hand."

The girl had walked off after playing with her sister in the back garden of the family's country house.

She had managed to get almost three kilometres from the house by the time a nearby police car got one wheel stuck in a ditch, an incident that proved to be a lucky accident.

As the officers evacuated the car to try and push it free, they heard the 2-year-old crying nearby. They waded out in the waist-deep snow to collect her.

"She was frozen and sad, but she didn't need any medical attention. The police took her directly home to her parents," Edenström said.

"It was really comforting for everyone that we found her."

Edenström added, however, that he thought the police helicopter would have had no trouble finding the toddler, as her red jacket was in such strong contrast to the snow.

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15:16 February 25, 2013 by Svensksmith
God works in mysterious ways.
16:22 February 25, 2013 by engagebrain
Why didn't god simply guide the child home and avoid all this fuss and worry ?
20:49 February 25, 2013 by Ter76
Eh why was she barefoot? and lightly dressed in her garden, its freezing out... and how could she walk 3 k with no shoes and socks, her feet would have been frozen? Very strange story!
21:01 February 25, 2013 by peterrkj
Because without the fuss god wouldn't of taught the parents the value of keeping a better eye on there child in case you can't tell I'm being sarcastic. But in all serious it's funny That with every resource at hand the polis still only managed to accomplish something by accident maybe if they crashed more often they'd also accomplish more :p. But it's good the child is ok.
23:01 February 25, 2013 by AfroSwede
So without luck the girl could have been lost forever? the police will not be a able to locate her but they know how to stop and search people of color in metro
08:11 February 26, 2013 by karex
I agree with #3. There's more to this story than meets the eye. Simply put, it's not possible for a barefoot toddler to walk in waist deep snow for three kms. "And then be OK", at the very least I would fear frostbite. I think the police should suspect that someone took her and placed her there on purpose.
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