A missing child call went out midday Tuesday from Hollywood Elementary School, where a 4-year-old autistic girl was found to be missing after a head count was taken during outside play time.
St. Mary’s Sheriff deputies and state troopers responded to the call from the school and immediately went to the initial scene to locate the missing child. According to Zena Thomas, public relations officer for St. Mary’s County Public Schools, the child was found near a stream at the edge of the playground, just a short distance from where the other children were playing.
Hollywood Volunteer Fire Department and Rescue Squad, Bay District Volunteer Fire Department, Leonardtown Fire Department and Trooper 7 helicopter of the Maryland State Police also responded to assist in the search. Bloodhounds from Calvert County were requested; however they were cancelled prior to their arrival.
At the elementary school, there is a summer autism camp held throughout the summer designed for preschool aged children with autism. At the time of the incident there were the usual three staff members who normally deal with a total of ten children in the program.
On this day there was only a total of nine children at the camp, meaning that when the child went missing the head count turned up eight. “[The missing child] was just playing in the sand and didn’t know she was missing,” Thomas told The Bay Net.
Each day the children have a play time outside on the playground before the end of the day. Afterwards buses come to the school and take each student home, directly to their front door.
The child was reported missing between 11:00 and 11:15 a.m. Trooper 7 scanned the area to help locate the girl, there were also multiple police vehicles in the area, and officers walking the vicinity in search of her. It was an off-duty officer who located the little girl, and with the scare was over the camp was able to finish for the day.