This morning, a 2-year-old girl who was reported missing from the Extended Stay America Hotel in Lombard was found safe inside a vacant room of the same hotel, ending an intensive search by multiple police agencies and divers. According to NBC Chicago, Lombard Police and the parents were engaged in a frantic search that began around midnight after the mother discovered her daughter was missing following a shower.
The search for the toddler included a diverse bunch of personnel; officials told Chicago Sun-Times, that officers with K-9 units and divers probing a nearby pond launched an extensive search in the area of 22nd Street and Highland Avenue with Lombard Police confirming to NBC Chicago an extensive response involving multiple suburban agencies, including the DuPage County Sheriff and nearby police and fire departments and ensued through the night, prolonging the distressing wait for the family and concerned communities alike.
The girl was eventually discovered around 7 a.m. by police in room 405 of the hotel, which was unoccupied and had been left without a key, quelling the fears brought by the hours of effort from emergency responders. An NBC 5 reporter, Sandra Torres, highlighted the "significant" police presence at the scene, noting the involvement of agencies like the Lombard Police Department, the DuPage County Sheriff, and multiple area fire departments after the initial involvement of divers was triggered by reports of a person "in the water," as confirmed by the Bloomingdale Fire Department to Torres.
Images from the scene released by NBC Chicago illustrated a tense backdrop of emergency vehicles and first responders, that had surrounded the hotel and the pond behind Greek Islands Lombard a popular restaurant nearby—with the Village of Lombard's social media subsequently providing updates on the search and eventual safe recovery of the girl, The incident serves as a sobering reminder of the agility and coordination that can coalesce in times of community crisis such as missing children in Lombard, Illinois found about 20 miles west of downtown Chicago.
