Press Release
Sheriff

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Kittitas County Agencies Work Together to Locate Toddler

Kittitas County, WA - 04/25/2023 - At around 9:20 this morning, 4/25, a family in the Umptanum area several miles southwest of Ellensburg called 911 to report their 3-year old girl ran off into the rough sagebrush around their remote residence. They’d already searched for 20 minutes and were worried about their toddler among the steep canyons and other hazards of the high country where they live.

Kittitas County Sheriff’s deputies and detectives arrived within minutes to help the family search. Calls went out to Kittitas County Search and Rescue Volunteers, including trained tracking dogs and their handlers. The Sheriff’s Office and Kittitas Valley Fire and Rescue launched aerial drones to coordinate with ground personnel.

State resources, including a FLIR-equipped helicopter, were being coordinated when a Sheriff’s Office drone pilot spotted the toddler in the brush. The drone helped direct people on the ground, beginning with the little girl’s grandma, to find her safe and well. She had wandered for about two hours to end up around 300 yards from the house in a shallow ravine, surrounded by shrubs.

This incident beautifully illustrates the impact of cooperation between well-trained teams and agencies. Thank you to the Search and Rescue volunteers who responded only minutes behind deputies, ready for a potentially grueling search. Thanks to KVFR for sharing their technology and expertise. And thank you to our community for the support to acquire, train with and deploy technologies like the IR-equipped drones that helped find and secure this precious Kittitas County resident.
 

• vlc-record-2023-04-25-15h20m31s-Umptanum Rd - Child Located 4-25-23.MP4-.mp4

Kittitas County, from the Cascades to the Columbia, and online at http://www.co.kittitas.wa.us

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Contact: Christopher Whitsett
509-962-7615
christopher.whitsett@co.kittitas.wa.us

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