An 8-year-old Nichols girl who vanished along a rural road Monday evening was found alive and safe early Wednesday morning, ending a two-day search that drew in state police, forest rangers and more than 200 volunteers. Amelia Lawrence was located in the Town of Nichols at approximately 1:40 a.m. on October 7, according to the Tioga County Sheriff's Office.
Lawrence was last seen walking on Lower Briggs Hollow Road in Nichols around 5:30 p.m. the previous Monday, October 5, according to myhometowntoday.com. Her disappearance prompted a search of the area and a statewide missing-child alert issued early Tuesday, the outlet reported. Members of the Tioga County Sheriff's Office and the New York State Police located her roughly 36 hours later, per the same report. The Newport Dispatch also confirmed the timeline of her recovery in the Town of Nichols.
Search crews had been working the area since 11:30 p.m. that Monday night, and officials said the effort would continue into Wednesday with an expanded search radius, according to WENY. By the time Lawrence was found, more than 200 volunteers had joined the search, WENY reported. The station also confirmed that the Tioga County Sheriff's Office and the Nichols Volunteer Fire Department verified she had been found alive.
Statewide Alert Called Off Before Dawn
The New York State Missing Child Alert tied to Lawrence's case was canceled at 6:43 a.m. on October 7, according to myhometowntoday.com. Her disappearance had sparked what The Star-Gazette described as a major search led by the Tioga County Sheriff's Office, with participation from local fire crews, state environmental personnel, emergency services and civilians, as The Star-Gazette reported. That outlet identified the child as Amelia B. Lawrence, while other reports, including myhometowntoday.com, used the name Amelia E. Lawrence.
607 News Now also confirmed that the search had ended once the girl was located in Nichols, according to 607 News Now. Syracuse.com similarly reported that Lawrence was found alive and safe early Wednesday morning after going missing that Monday.
Sheriff's Office Thanks Searchers, Says Charges Expected
The Tioga County Sheriff's Office publicly thanked the search and rescue teams, the Nichols Fire Department, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation forest rangers, Tioga County Emergency Services, and the volunteers and members of the public who joined the effort, according to myhometowntoday.com's reporting. The agency said the investigation remains ongoing and that criminal charges are expected to be filed, the outlet reported.
The statement did not identify a suspect or specify what charges are anticipated, per the same report. No further details on the circumstances of Lawrence's recovery have been released.
