A Toddler Had Been Missing For Two Days, Then Rescuers Saw Her Pit Bull Wander Into The Yard

After two-year-old Charlee Campbell and her dog, Penny, had been missing for almost two days, the search-and-rescue teams must have feared the worst. The little girl was presumably out in the open in extremely hazardous surroundings with just a pit bull for company. But then Charlee's would-be rescuers spotted Penny ambling up to a porch — and found out the case was about to be solved.

Losing hope

Charlee's grandmother is Beth Campbell. She had custody of Charlee at her home in the city of Lebanon Junction in Kentucky. And the community certainly sticks together. In fact, Charlee’s disappearance sparked a large-scale police search that was aided by around 100 volunteers. The search party focused the majority of their efforts on an area of woodland near the little girl’s home. But Charlee was nowhere to be seen.

Brief signs of hope

A day after the tot had gone missing, police investigations took a worrying turn when four sniffer dogs involved in the search for the little girl seemed to show an interest in something. The dogs were sniffing around a pool on the family’s property, but the search there eventually drew a blank. And there was something else bothering the police department.

Sheriff casts doubt

Bullitt County Sheriff Donnie Tinnell's major concern was the woods around the Campbell home. Looking at it, he didn't believe that it would be possible for a small girl to trek through the many hills or the rugged ground. In fact, he said a fully fit fireman had trouble searching the same area. And that wasn't all.

Covering lost ground

The other question preying on the sheriff's mind was, simply, why hadn't they found the little girl yet? She was just one person, and they dozens of people searching the same area again and again and again. They even had search dogs combing the area. It just didn't make any sense. But then there were several things that didn't make sense to the law enforcement professional.