Video shows rescue of infant in alligator-infested woods after mysterious separation from mother

A video showing the precise moment when a group of police recruits from the Savannah Police Department in Georgia found a two-year-old boy was released.

In the recording, Kamiyah Vicks, who had been missing for 15 hours according to the caption of the video, could be heard crying on the distance before the group of recruits found her.

As soon as they heard Kamiyah, one of them said “that’s the child!” and they ran to where the sound was coming from. They saw that the toddler was trapped in a brush next to a small tree.

When she saw her rescuers, she immediately stopped crying as if she knew they were there to help her. The woods where Kamiyah was found is reportedly infested with alligators, snakes, and other dangerous animals.

THE MISSING REPORT

The two-year-old girl was reported missing on June 27. Police officers immediately attended the call and found the toddler’s mother, whose name hasn’t been published, in a sort of “emergency state.”

They didn’t know if it was a psychological issue or as a result of not finding her daughter.

It was also revealed that the mother and the child live at Lake Shore in Port Wentworth and that they were seen together for the last time around 5 pm the previous day, near Benton Boulevard.

A LARGE GROUP HELPED IN THE SEARCH

The police interrogated the mother at the hospital. They also found Kamiyah’s stroller and her mother’s flip-flops near a local lake.

The rescuers thought that the toddler might have fallen into the water, so they started inspecting the area on boats. Later, several teams including the Savannah Police and Savannah Fire got involved in the search.

The Georgia State Patrol, Chatham County Marine Patrol, as well as search and rescue teams from Chatham Emergency Management Agency and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources Law Enforcement Division joined forces to find the missing girl.

Three members from the Savannah Police Department, who were in their second week of training at SPD Patrol School and were told to cover an area of the woods on foot, found Kamiyah.

Cadet Robert Parker pulled the toddler from the brush and gave her water before alerting the other teams. She had a couple of scratches and was probably dehydrated, but nothing that couldn’t be treated in a hospital.

Parker later revealed in an interview to WTOC:

“My reaction is relief because these things don’t always end up this way. The child screamed because she heard us, I’m sure. She’d been out there for quite a while, but, you know, open arms, ready to go. She was thirsty. She was tired, and she was hot. So we got her the proper medical treatment and hopefully get her back reunited with her family.”

WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO THE TODDLER'S MOTHER?

At the moment, it is not known how Kamiyah and her mother got separated in the first place. Matt Libby, Port Wentworth Police Chief, revealed that they were investigating the incident.

Depending on what they discover, the mother may or may not face criminal charges. It is also possible that a division of Family and Children Services will handle the case, too.

A SIMILAR SITUATION

In May this year, Bradley Thomas, the then one-year-old boy who was reported missing in Oregon was found alive and naked on a pile of dirt in the middle of the woods.

Bradley was found by detective Doug Jackson six hours after the search began. The boy received medical assistance, and it was discovered that he was fine despite spending so many hours by himself out in the open.

It is believed that Brandon Blouin, Bradley's father, left the child on the pile of dirt while searching for the toddler’s 18-year-old mother who has not been identified.

Although it isn't clear, officers have reason to believe that the baby's father was under the influence of a controlled substance at the time of the incident, which explains why he abandoned the baby.