CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — After a nearly 12-hour search effort, the Chesterfield Police Department confirmed 11-year-old Isabelle Pittera was found safe Tuesday morning.
It was during a media briefing held Tuesday morning that police received word that Isabelle Pittera was found near Clarendon Park in a wooded area adjacent to the West Providence Road/Chesbay Court area.
“Fabulous– best news we’ve had all day,” said Peter Cimbal, Special Operations Division Commander with Chesterfield Police, as he was told Isabelle had been found.
Although cold and scratched up, police say a neighbor found Isabelle in a wooded area south of her home around 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday. Soon after she was located, she was taken to a local hospital to be looked over.
Neighbors in the area told 8News they were happy to hear Isabelle was found safe.
Before learning the good news, state and local agencies pulled together every resource they could, sifting through about 5 square miles of wooded areas. Drones and aircrafts watched from above as K-9s, officers and volunteers were on the ground, all looking for Isabelle.
“Typically, we do see cases where children with some intellectual disabilities or autism … are attracted to bodies of water and tend to go around there,” Cimbal said about the search efforts prior to Isabelle being found. “So that’s why we are focusing on those areas.”
“She was found by a member of the community, [and] that is what we need, right?” Cimbal said. “We need people to pay attention to some of the news alerts and the media releases that we give, and also to look at their camera systems.”
The department shared its immense gratitude for the community’s coming together to find one of their own.
“At this point, that person [who found Isabelle] probably needs a great thank you,” Cimbal said.
Police are still working to learn the circumstances surrounding Isabelle’s disappearance.
