(COLORADO SPRINGS) — Multiple agencies responded on Friday, Nov. 8, after receiving reports of a missing 8-year-old girl who got lost in the snowstorm after her family’s car got stuck.
According to The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office (EPSO), the call came in around 10:30 p.m. on Friday, reporting that the girl was missing around Soap Weed Road and Mid Jones Road, north of Ellicott in Eastern El Paso County. Multiple agencies from the surrounding area responded to help in the search. A temporary command post was set up at Ellicott High School.
The girl went missing in an area that was severely impacted by the winter storm, and blizzard-like conditions made it difficult for first responders to get to the area and conduct a search. Snowplows from the Department of Transportation were dispatched to clear the way for emergency personnel.
A ground search was supported by drones from the Colorado Springs Fire Department and Fountain Police Department.
After seven hours, the girl was found alive on a nearby property. After having been exposed to the elements, she suffered injuries from the cold. She was taken to the hospital and is expected to make a full recovery.