A girl who went missing at the age of four in 2019 has been found alive by police underneath a staircase in a New York property, NBC News reports.
On Monday, February 14, Paislee Shultis, 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.
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.
Father Kirk Shultis Sr and son Kirk Shultis Jr were each charged with one count of felony of custodial interference in the first degree and misdemeanor endangering the welfare of a child.
Both father and son were released on their own recognizance.
Kimberly Cooper was charged with custodial interference in the second degree and misdemeanor endangering the welfare of a child. Cooper, who also had an outstanding warrant in Ulster County, is currently being held at Ulster County Jail.
