The parents and grandfather of a six-year-old girl appeared in court for the first time on Wednesday, February 16.
Paislee Shultis was found alive underneath a staircase of her parent's home in New York after having been missing since 2019.
On Monday, February 14, Paislee, now six, was discovered at a home in Saugerties, approximately 45 miles south of Albany, after law enforcement received fresh information with regards to her whereabouts, the Saugerties Police Department said.
After an hour-long search of a makeshift room under the stairs leading to the basement, police managed to find the little one.
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Kimberly Cooper, 33, and Kirk Shultis Jr., 32, were arrested Monday night after police found Paislee, being held in a dark, wet makeshift room. They had kept her in isolation from society for more than two years, Fox5 reports.
Shultis Jr., his father, Kirk Shultis Sr., and Cooper all appeared in court Wednesday, February 16. The Shultis men refused to answer questions.
The father and son were charged with one count each of felony custodial interference in the first degree and misdemeanor child endangerment. They are scheduled to appear in court again on April 27.
Cooper also declined to answer any questions. She's been charged with second-degree custodial interference and misdemeanor endangering the welfare of a child, though prosecutor Lauren Swan said she's being "investigated with the potential for additional charges."
Cooper's next court date was scheduled for March 2.
Detective Erik Thiele realized there was something not quite right about the staircase and came across a blanket after shining a light between the steps.
"However, Detectives used a tool to remove several of the wooden steps, and that is when detectives saw a pair of tiny feet," police said in a statement on Tuesday, February 15.
"After removing several more steps, the child and her abductor were discovered within. The space was small, cold, and wet."
Paislee was then examined by paramedics, who confirmed that she was healthy, before being returned to her legal guardian.
When she was just four years old in July 2019, Paislee was reported missing from Cayuga Heights, which is approximately 160 miles west of where she was found in Saugerties. Police say she was kidnapped by Kimberly Cooper, 33, and Kirk Shultis Jr., 32, her "non-custodial parents."
Before the six-year-old was found, authorities had previously followed leads to the location but said those living at the property "denied any knowledge of the little girl's whereabouts."
"During some of the follow-ups to the Fawn Road location, authorities were permitted limited access into the residence to look around for the child, by both Kirk Shultis Sr and Jr. ... knowing the child and her abductor were hidden within the house and would not be found," police said.
